Scratched Glass
by loves him
Summary: Karyane Ruele is a pretty girl with a life void of any meaning. When Jack Sparrow takes her hostage, he doesn't realize that Karyane is more than the pretty doll behind a glass case.
1. Chapter 1

**Scratched Glass**

_Chapter One_

Karyane walked slowly behind the bushes, trying to hide her rather inconspicuous gown. Luckily, it was night. The soft melody of the violins floated out from the mansion. Zenakabee would soon be after her. Holding up the skirts of her rather expensive gown, she tried to hide behind a larger bush. If Zenakabee spotted Karyane, then Karyane would have to suffer a week of hell. Something that she would rather not have to deal with.

The ball was in honor of Thomas Greeneley, a wealthy merchant, friend of her father, and admirer of Karyane. Karyane, on the other hand, despised him greatly. Why? She didn't quite know, but she did know that she hated him.

Thomas had just arrived at Port Royal from his journey to England. And he had signed a rather healthy contract concerning himself and a few other fortunate men. One of them included her father. And so naturally, her father was to attend. And if her father attended, then naturally, her mother would have to attend. But her mother was in France with Karyane's grandmother, Elice. And if her mother couldn't attend, then naturally, Karyane and her step-sister, Zenakabee would have to attend.

Crouching was growing rather painful upon Karyane's back. So she decided to move over to the next bush. Albeit, it was a smaller bush, but at least she would be allowed some movement.

She heard a rustling sound come from behind a bunch of crowded bushes. Fearing that it was Zenakabee, she hid behind the previous bush. She saw a rather disgruntled head pop up from behind the bush, and new at once that it was Zenakabee. A sigh of relief passed over her, but then she peeked over the top of the bush to see just exactly who it was.

And apparently, whoever was hiding behind the bushes opposite of her was doing the same thing, for the figure asked, "Who are you?"

Shocked into silence, she could not reply for a few seconds. Deciding to confirm if it was Zenakabee or not, she choked, "Are you Zenakabee?"

"Huh?" the other figure asked, scratching their chaotic hair. Guessing by the voice, it wasn't Zenakabee. And Karyane knew that the word, 'huh' was not in Zenakabee's vocabulary. Her step-sister greatly hated the improper use of words and grammar.

By now, Karyane's back was in extreme pain. And since the other figure wasn't Zenakabee, she decided to get up and reveal herself. Brushing off a few leaves, she walked forward to the other figure. "Who are you?" she asked, noticing that the person was a male.

The man stood up, leaves in his already messy hair. "I asked you first."

Raising an eyebrow, she said, "There's no need to be immature."

"Yeah, well, the same goes for you."

Sighing, she admitted defeat and replied, "My name is Karyane Ruele. Who are you and what do you want?"

"Ay, well……my name is Jack Sparrow. I'm a pirate and I'm looking for a man named Thomas Greeneley. Do you know him?" he asked.

"_Yes,_ I know him," she said through gritted teeth, not wanting to think of the rather despised name. At least he was despised in her own mind.

"Show him to me," he ordered.

"Why?" she retorted, her fiery temper starting to flare.

The man pulled out a gun and held it to her head. "That's why."

**A/N: This story needs major editing. Beware of plot holes, a character on the verge of being a Mary-Sue or already there, and general nonsense. Proceed with caution. You have been warned.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Scratched Glass**

_Chapter Two_

_**A/N: This is going to be an EXTREMELY long chapter, on my behalf. So hang on. :**_

**_Recap: _"_Why?" she retorted, her fiery temper starting to flare._**

_**The man pulled out a gun and held it to her head. "That's why."**_

"Now show him to me," the man ordered.

"All right, all right, just back off a little," she said, her anger overruling logic. She did not really comprehend the fact that a gun was held to her head and that her life was at stake.

Turning her around so that he had a better grip on her, he moved her forward with his own legs. "Come on, get moving," he said roughly.

"Fine," she muttered and started to move toward the animated mansion. "But just exactly why do you wish to see him?" she asked.

"Not through the front entrance, you dolt. Then we'll be in plain sight," he said, moving her away from the front entrance of the mansion.

Dolt. No one had really called her a dolt before. But she had to admit, the word did suit her quite well. So she moved to the right and away from the front entrance.

"And the answer to your question is because the man has something of mine, miss," he said, continuing to push Karyane in the direction that she was already moving in. She almost fell over a hidden twig, but the man was holding onto her waist. Fortunately, his firm grip around her stomach held her in place.

"Funny how you're addressing me as miss when I'm obviously you're hostage, Mr…."she commented on his previous words.

"Jack Sparrow," he answered gruffly, his eyes watching for any unwanted guests.

"Fine then, Mr. Sparrow. How do you know that I'm not a Mrs.?" She continued, trying to strike conversation.

A grin played on his rough face and he replied in a teasing tone, "No one would want to marry you." This inevitably caused a frown to settle on Karyane's features. "Only kidding, love. You have a rather alluring figure. Much like a whore's," he joked, causing her brow to furrow and her frown to dig even deeper. "Now enough chit chat. Get us there already.

He obviously wasn't a romantic. "All right, hush already, or else someone will hear you," she helped. Under her breath, she added, "And I'm the dolt."

"I heard that," he said, keeping an eye out for anyone that was spying on them.

Reaching the back of the mansion, a fairly desolate area, Karyane pushed open the glass double doors silently. "He's in the ball room with everyone else," she informed. If this man was trying to get rid of Thomas, then he was obviously a friend of hers.

Their steps were padded by the lush cream-colored carpet as they went the distance to the other door. Jack pushed open the door while holding onto Karyane's waist. Looking about, he set forward on the now marble floor. Within a few steps, a hurried waiter stepped into the larger room. As soon as he saw Jack and Karyane, he stopped dead. "Miss Ruele," he said and those were his last words before Jack shot him in the chest.

Karyane tried struggling, but Jack held onto her tightly. "Love, you're forgetting that this gun of mine allows me two shots, not one," she smiled as the realization dawned on Karyane. This man had mercifully shot a complete stranger; he could easily do it again. And besides, he still had a shot left. She stopped struggling and they moved on to the next expansive room.

This one was obviously the living room. There was a large couch that could seat three, two armchairs, and a loveseat. They were all centered around a brown coffee table.

"Where is the ball room?" Jack asked his voice bowing down to a mere whisper. If he hadn't spoken directly into her ear, then she probably wouldn't have heard him.

"Definitely not close is all that I know," she replied. As soon as she said that, the door to the next room opened and in came Zenakabee. Jack took Karyane and quickly hid behind the large sofa, which was nearest to him.

"Where is Karyane?" her step-sister Zenakabee muttered as she went to the next room. As soon as she passed, Jack got up as did Karyane. Two close encounters. And the latter was the more dangerous one.

But their close encounters for the night weren't over. As soon as they were a few feet from the door ahead of them, Zenakabee emerged from the door that they had just left from.

"Karyane, there you are," her step-sister called softly. "The lovely waiter was able to inform me of your whereabouts before he died," she answered to the shocked expressions to the two persons standing before her.

"What do you want, thief?" Zenakabee asked, moving forward. Jack was forced to make a decision. Shoot Zenakabee and have Karyane run off to warn someone. Or, shoot Karyane and have Zenakabee run off to warn someone. Instead, he let go of Karyane, ran to Zenakabee, and held her as his new hostage.

"You see, I'll take at least one of you. And I'm guessing that you," here he pointed roughly at Karyane, "are the more considerate one. So you wouldn't really want to see this one dead." Now, wise men would have thought a filthy pirate – such as Jack – to be an idiot. Bur pirates have a few skills that wise men don't. They can lie, cheat, steal, but will always keep their promises to a close friend. And above all, most are extremely intuitive. Why? Because after having to deal with so many people, they can guess a person's character after meeting them for only a few seconds. Therefore, they know how that person will react to certain things. There you have it. The downfall of you're so-called "all knowing" wise men.

Zenakabee had panicked, she did _NOT_ LIKE PIRATES. And the tell-tale stories of the conniving thieves only added to her fear. She tried escaping from her captor's firm grip, but to no avail. And unlike most wise men, pirates are not weaklings.

"Get moving. I need to find Thomas and soon," he ordered, pushing Zenakabee forward. A flicker of doubt crossed Karyane's mind. She could easily escape and save herself. Then Zenakabee could rot in hell – exactly what she deserved. And to save her pitiful life, Zenakabee would tell Jack where Thomas was. Then Jack would shoot Zenakabee and kill Thomas with some weapon or another. Then both pests would be removed from Karyane's life.

Closing her eyes, Karyane moved forward. No, she couldn't. She would be acting much too like Zenakabee. "Follow me," she whispered and conceded to the orders. Almost all her life, she had done what she was told to do. Why not continue with her dreaded state?

But before she could get very far, a scream emitted from Zenakabee's mouth, a vase crashed noisily to the floor, and Jack threw curses at the girl. Karyane turned around to see that Jack was trying to suppress Zenakabee's shouts, but her step-sister bit him.

"That's it," he yelled, getting angry and carried her body out of the room. "You're going to die one way or the other."

"NO!" Karyane shouted, running after them. She pounded the man's back with her fists but he turned around and held the gun to her mouth.

"Ssh, love, unless you wish to die," and he left the second room.

For a second, Karyane stood frozen. She had to do something to save her hated sister, but what? She ran to the ball room….the only thing that she could come up with was to tell someone so that they would take action.

Scanning the crowd, the closest able-bodied man was Thomas. She ran to him, by now very much out of breath.

"Thomas, listen," she gasped for breath, holding onto his shoulder for support.

"What is it dear?" Thomas asked, his straight row of brilliant white teeth shining at her. "What's wrong?"

"A pirate….he's taken Zenakabee. He's going to kill her…" she breathed for air. The mansion wasn't exactly tiny and the ball room was far from the room that Jack and Zenakabee had last been in. Catching her breath, she explained hurriedly, "He was here. He wanted to kill you. But then Zenakabee started yelling. And he's taken her somewhere. We have to save her," she finished.

The men standing around Thomas burst into laughter and one said, "Good story, little girl. And was there a mermaid in it as well?" This only roused even more laughter.

Thomas joined in, laughing weakly. For a second, he had believed Karyane – after all, he did love her – but after the uproar from his friends, he doubted the reliability of the girl that he so admired. "You should go rest. You've probably drank too much, that's why you're head is so confused." With that, he shooed her away to talk of more important matters.

Karyane stood, shocked. They didn't believe her, he didn't believe her. They thought that she was telling some sort of story to fetch Thomas's attention. And of all people! She didn't even like Thomas!

But it dawned on her slowly, bit by bit. If there was a pirate, someone would have seen him or heard him. And he would certainly not travel alone for his own protection. Why should anyone believe her? And for a second, even she doubted the validation of her story. Had she been dreaming? No, she could very well feel the man holding her waist just a while back.

What to do? She ran outside; she couldn't just let him kill Zenakabee like that! Trekking through the lawn, she saw two pairs of tracks leading to her right. She turned her head that way. What was over in that direction? Streets filled with beautiful houses, the Deloure's manor, and…the docks! That was it!

He must have a ship and where else would his ship be but at the docks! She ran in the general direction as fast as she could.

Terrible thought flooded her head. Was Zenakabee alive? If yes, then under what condition? And what would happen to her?

As you probably know, when you're preoccupied with something, you are usually unaware of your surroundings. Like the pole that you're about to run into.

Like when my friend is busy ranting about the guy that she likes and is walking backwards. She tells me to tell her if something's behind her. And I'm listening to my other friend talk about this really cute guy. Out of the three of us, none realize that a pole is about a foot away from my friend's head. And so she smacks the back of her head into the pole. And so she is left in a horribly sticky situation.

The same can be applied to Karyane. She was so busy thinking of Zenakabee, that she forgot that she was wearing heels. She was soon reminded as she twisted her ankle and fell to the cobblestone streets. She fell on her stomach and her face collided with the pavement. She cried out as her nose started to bleed and her palms became blistered. Trying to get up, she knocked one palm against a cobblestone and held that one in pain. Crawling to the gate of a house, she held her bloody nose as her palms throbbed as if they were on fire. She noticed that her right knee had twisted itself as well as her ankle. And Karyane too was left in a horribly sticky situation.

How she alone would now save Zenakabee was beyond her. What really mattered was when the ship would leave. Racking her brain for any useful information, she thought back to something that she had read in the paper. A terrible storm was predicted to hit the island on Sunday. It had warned the captains of ships to leave with the tide on Saturday night, for the storm would most likely start in the early morning. Either that or wait for a few days before the storm would pass.

Realizing that she had hit the jackpot, she tried thinking of when the tide would go out. Thinking of the newspaper today, she thought of the section related to the weather and such. Yes, the times were around…..the tide would go out at around one o'clock, come in at seven and….she forgot the next time. Wait, if her calculations were correct, then the tide would go out at one o'clock once again.

Then….what time was it? Oh no, she had absolutely no idea of the time. With that thought in mind, she fell into despair.

Tears racked her body and the pain that chorused throughout her body was the only thing that kept her awake. She had to save Zenakabee, but how? Frustration fogged her mind, obscuring all logic. She sat there for God knows how long and waited for the church bells to ring. They would tell her what time it was. In the meantime, she let the tears take over her. She was hopeless.

There they were and they rung….seven….eight…nine…ten…eleven…twelve…and stopped. It was midnight. She had less than an hour to carry her pathetic body to the docks and save Zenakabee. But the docks were still so far away! Wiping her tears, she removed her heels and painstakingly got up.

She walked slowly, bidding her pain to leave her. But try as she might and walk as slowly as she wished, the pain grew only worse. After awhile, she sat down and tried soothing the pain away. She rubbed her knee as she thought of the many minutes that she had already wasted. Wasted, when she put it that way, she sounded so much more slower than she really was.

Getting up once again and more resolute this time, she walked and walked and walked and walked and walked. What seemed like an eternity was only half of a whole hour.

Arriving at the docks, she was suddenly lost in the many ships that were there. Which ship was Zenakabee on?

Jack pushed the girl along. She was less cooperative than the other, but he couldn't let her go. No, he had to take her to the Pearl before the tide went out.

The church bells rang twelve times as he set foot on the Black Pearl, bringing the thing of a human along with him.

"Gibbs!" he shouted. "A new captive. Make sure that she doesn't escape," he ordered. He heard his stomach grumble; he hadn't eaten anything since when he had last left the Pearl. And that was well before noon.

"Cap'n, a female be…" Gibbs tried to explain, but Jack cut him off with a gesture of his hand.

"Aye, I know. You've been telling me that every time a female stepped aboard the ship. Don't matter."

Calling Matchere, a bald man, he requested, "Bread and rum and anything else if you happen to find it." Matchere nodded and left. _Finally, food and peace,_ he thought to himself as he set off to his quarters.

Karyane stopped at a large and ancient ship. It had large white sails that seemed oddly out of place. On the side in glittering letters were the words, The Black Pearl White sails, they just didn't seem to fit the ship.

Was this the ship? Or was it the one before her? Or the one after her? She had asked herself this for the past twenty other ships. She saw a glimpse of a red bandana on board the ship. The red bandana bobbed up and down, a man was probably talking to someone. Wait……the bandana looked oddly familiar. She had a feeling that this was the ship, this odd and eccentric ship was the one which Zenakabee was aboard.

She looked to a dangling rope that was the only way on the ship, for there was no plank to climb. Walking gingerly to the swaying rope, she prepared her already blistered palms for even more pain. She held onto the rope and wrapped her legs around it. Slowly and tediously, she inched upward. With every movement, a bout of fire spread her small palms that were not accustomed to any form of rigorous work. A few feet from the railing, she heard the church bells chime.

She heard the orders of, "Go cut the rope, it's time!" God, if this wasn't the right ship, then there was no hope. She mustered all her strength, bit her lip so as not to scream with pain, and reached the railing. As soon as her tiny swollen hand reached the wood, another rough hand reached it as well. She peered into the eyes of a bearded man and he peered into hers. For a minute, they just stood there and stared at each other. Then a man shouted, "What's taking so long, Gibbs? We have to leave!" And she heard footsteps approach her.

She held onto the rope, slowly losing grip of the object. She pleaded with her eyes and asked theman not to cut the rope. "Please," she whispered. "I need to save my…"

And then a voice asked, "What is the problem?" Looking to the right of the man, she saw none other than Jack Sparrow, her step-sister's captor.

A dangerous smile crept onto Jack's face and he whispered with the loftiness of a man who has just found a rat among his clothes. A rat that had been chewing holes in the man's clothes for weeks. A rat that had puzzled the man so much, that the man had spent hours of thinking of how to rid himself of the rat. Jack was the contemptuous man and Karyane was the desperate rat, holding onto the rope for dear life. "So that is the problem."

_**A/N: There you have it, Chapter 2. Sorry it took so long, but I hope the length makes up for the wait. : Oh, do review!**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Scratched Glass**

_Chapter 3_

**A/N: Heh. Sorry for the long wait.**

**

* * *

**

**Recap: Jack was the contemptuous man and Karyane was the desperate rat, holding onto the rope for dear life. "So that is the problem."**

Did he really think that? Maybe he was referring to a problem that had nothing to do with her? But guessing by the look in his eye, Karyane was the core of the very 'problem'.

"What do we do with her?" the man with the beard asked.

Jack seemed to contemplate for awhile, 'throw her overboard?' or 'not throw her overboard?' "Ah," he waved his arms, frustrated. He had had a very stressing day, he didn't want to have to think any further. "I don't know."

"I suggest that we cut the rope, we can't possibly afford another person. There isn't nearly enough food," the bald man said.

Jack eyed the bearded man critically and said, "Gibbs, I can't be that cruel. I've already killed one man tonight. I don't like dead bodies. Especially if I know that I killed 'em." Turning his head to a silently pleading Karyane, he waved his hand around in frustration. He finally relented, "Ah, keep her. But put her in the cell until after the storm passes. I don't want to have to deal with frilly…_things_ onboard during a storm."

With a look in his face that showed obvious disagreement with the captain, the man who must be Gibbs grumbled.

"I meant to pull her onboard before the poor thing dies of blistered hands," Jack said sarcastically and leaned over to help Karyane onto the topmost deck. Noticing that Karyane wasn't taking his hand, he offered her again, "Take my hand."

But Karyane was petrified with indecisiveness. This man was a murderer. And he had just spoken of the man that he killed as if he had shot down a goose or something. Or, maybe she was criticizing him too much. Those chocolate-colored eyes seemed so trustworthy. NO! What was she saying? He had just killed a man. But if…

Jack voiced her next thought aloud, "If you don't take a hold of my hand, girly, then you can just hang there 'til your grip slackens and you fall to your possible death." As she looked down, she saw that he was right. Not having any other choice, he held onto his hand. She held back a shiver of revolt as Jack easily pulled her up.

"But don't be expecting paradise. This is a ship," Jack warned and nodded to Gibbs.

"Come miss," Gibbs said, arriving at her side and ushering her down below. Into an enclosed area, he took her to her cell, handed her a box of something, and shut the door of the cell. He then left.

* * *

Thomas felt a pang of guilt echo in his stomach. Where was Karyane? He smiled pleasantly to the man next to him. The conversation continued and no one noticed Thomas searching worriedly for Karyane.

Forget saving face! He should have listened to her. But no, he had to ruin everything by laughing at her shocked expression.

And as he remembered the exact expression, he mentally winced. Her long, black, flowing hair lay peacefully on her shoulders, a few strands lifting in the wind. Her bright green eyes bulged with shock; they didn't quite comprehend what was going on. Her lips formed an expression that could only be described as befuddlement. Then, slowly, her lost look took on a different countenance. Her visage showed set determination and a grim look settled like grains of sand settling in an empty bottle.

He loved her, he truly did. He wanted nothing more than to protect her. But she, for some odd reason didn't like him. He wasn't disabled, wasn't arrogant, and wasn't evil. All right, so he wasn't the best looking man ever, but he truly did love her. Every time that he laid his eyes on her, he felt that he was in the right place. That he belonged. No, his heart wouldn't skip a beat or pump at an extraordinarily fast pace. He wasn't _that_ clichéd. But yes, he felt something for her and it was beyond the nasty thoughts of a young gentleman of his age.

He really did hope that she was all right.

* * *

Zenakabee was pushed into the cell and heard the door clanging noisily. She pushed a few strands of beautiful chestnut brown hair out of her face. A bamboozled look took over her face. What did that thief of a human want with her? What had she done wrong? Maybe she shouldn't have insulted him so, but she had her own personal fears to deal with. Even the thought of a pirate scared Zenakabee into an odd sort of fit.

She felt the soft waves rock the enormous ship and felt slightly dizzy. Pirates, ships, her mother. She was suddenly remembered of that fateful day. She screamed as the scene flashed fresh before her eyes. And as the grotesque part passed, she could only resort to crying. Crying softly, sobs rocking her body, tears relentlessly spilling down her face. They threatened to overwhelm her just as they had threatened to do so all those years ago.

What she didn't know was that her step-sister was crying for her, not too far away. And instead of mental stress, Karyane was experiencing physical pain.

* * *

Jack went back to his quarters after he had told Gibbs what to do with the girl. He laid down in his neatly set bed, the white sheets surrounding him. Pirate or not, he was the captain of the ship. And every captain was allowed certain luxuries. His were the beautiful black furniture that adorned his cabin.

He looked up at the ceiling. Aye, he'd have to do something about the girls. But what? He couldn't just throw them overboard; the ship had already started moving. Leave them at the next port that they reached? Maybe, but it still didn't seem...

Proper? Yes, that seemed like the word that would suit the situation.

Never mind that. Thomas Greeneley had something of his. He had information relating to the killer. Anger boiled just below Jack's calm surface. But he didn't know if Thomas would tell. If he didn't, then Jack would just kill him. That was the only thing that he could do. Tears pierced the back of his eyes as he thought of the events of about a year ago. He brushed them away as he sat up, his boots coming in contact with the floor. He had to clear his mind, after all, a storm was expected to hit soon.

He hadn't gotten Thomas this time, but he would the next time that opportunity came knocking his door.

* * *

"Who's there?" Karyane asked, the other person that was also imprisoned in the cell. She hadn't seen or heard anyone, she had merely _felt _them. She had felt the presence of another human being in the cell. How? Maybe it was because of the lack of emptiness that she had felt. The cell was fairly large, but something else also had to be there. The air in the cell was stifling and didn't seem right.

Maybe she was just hallucinating. Maybe the cell was smaller than she thought, for no one answered her question.

Just as the thought flared in her mind, she heard a soft voice ask, "Karyane?"

"Who are you?" Karyane asked, feeling as much fear as she had heard in the others person's voice. They were equal.

"Z-z-Zenakabee," she heard and a flood of relief washed over her. It was her step-sister. If she hadn't saved her, then at least Karyane knew that she was safe. Uncomfortable. Maybe, but nevertheless safe.

"Oh thank God it's you. I thought that it was some other horrible person," Karyane whispered, moving closer. "Are you all right?" she asked, resting a hand on Zenakabee's knee, making contact with crisp acrylic material. She took comfort at the touch of something so civilized as a ball gown.

"I'm so sorry for acting like a horrible monster to you," Zenakabee whispered, choking on her own tears. She moved forward and the two sisters hugged each other, crying. The two would bicker without cease like immature five-year-olds. They would tattle on each other, try sabotaging the other's dress if it looked too god, bit, pull each other's hair, throw the other's valuable items out the window, and envy the other constantly. It was normal for two _blood_ related sisters, so it was naturally proper for two steps. But in rare incidents, they would pity the other or agree with one another because of a common trait. This was one of those situations. And their common trait was that both were stuck on a pirate ship and dreaded thinking of their foggy futures.

* * *

Edward Ruele laughed along with whoever was talking to him. He didn't quite know the man's name, but he found the conversation altogether amusing. And in a way, that was all that really mattered. He needed to occupy himself and what better way to do that than to joke over a thin and elegantly crafted glass filled with wine.

"Yes, yes, I do believe so," he chattered away merrily. All in all, the week had been very good. Young Greeneley had settled a rich contract that benefited Edward as well as a few more lucky men and now this comfortable function.

The only thing that were missing were his two lovely daughters. Now where were they?

Zenakabee and Karyane huddled together to keep each other warm. It was freezing inside the cell. If only they knew what was awaiting the poor crew up on deck. The wind whipped the sails of the topmast violently. And this was just the beginning. When the storm hit, all hell would break lose above. It would be practically impossible to stay in one place for even a minute without being thrown to some other end of the ship.

The crew had their fair share of work after a month of calm waters. And not just one storm, but most likely a series of storms. It would be a miracle if the ship came out in one piece. It would most definitely need repairs after enduring such harsh winds. And so that is why Jack Sparrow had ordered Gibbs to keep the two girls below deck until at least the first storm passed. Any man with even an ounce of logic would do so.

The two girls had shifted their gowns so that the skirts covered their legs. Karyane was the rather unfortunate one, for her sleeves resembled butterfly wings; they were short, elegant and made of frilly lace. Goosebumps covered the length of bother her arms. Unlike Zenakabee, her sleeves didn't reach three quarters of her arms.

"You're lucky," Karyane muttered, rubbing her arms as she inched closer to Zenakabee. In return came a giggle that was only slightly interrupted by chattering teeth.

"I don't know what you consider as lucky, Karyane Mauvere Ruele," Zenakabee added, a cold smile spreading her face. She rarely ever used her siblings full French name, but this just happened to be one of those rare incidents. "You're the one with the mother here," Karyane fidgeted, but only slightly. Over the past what? Eleven or twelve years maybe? That was the first time that they had seen each other and the first and last time that they had _ever_ talked about Zenakabee's mother. At that time, Karyane was only five. She didn't quite understand what Zenakabee was talking about at the time. But over the course of time, she slowly understood the meaning that was laced into the words with fine lace.

She understood what Zenakabee's harsh words meant. She understood what Zenakabee meant directly. She understood what Zenakabee meant indirectly. She understood what circumstances Zenakabee was under. What she didn't understand was the pain that Zenakabee felt. And why? Because she hadn't been through what Zenakabee had. Therefore, she couldn't possibly understand her step's suffering.

"You wouldn't understand," Zenakabee dismissed with a mere wave of her hand. She too had noticed the other female's discomfort. Normally, she most definitely wouldn't have eased her rival's pain; she would have only made it worse. But as I must repeat, for what seems like the millionth time to me, they weren't exactly under normal circumstances.

"I'm sorry," Karyane mumbled apologetically, not knowing what else to say. What else could ease the deathly silence that had fallen whilst Karyane was lost in her own thoughts?

"No need," Zenakabee muttered and once again silence fell upon them like a soft, comforting foggy blanket woven from the warmest wool. It allowed both of them to escape their harsh situation and think of other things. Pleasant things. Things that brought cheerful memories along with them. Anything but the now steadily rocking boat.

* * *

The winds started to pick up. The much awaited storm would arrive soon. Gibbs licked his lips, trying to lick away the slicker of fear that had slowly materialized in his stomach. He would have to tell Jack to get out here soon.

The only thing that held him back was the presence of a raindrop. And not a drop was present in the air. Once he felt, saw, or heard the faintest linger of a raindrop he was to notify Jack. Those were his orders.

"Leukere!" Gibbs shouted, noticing that the man that was trying to change one of the sails was doing so wrong. If Gibbs hadn't noticed any sooner, the man would've tangled and lost himself in the vast sea of ropes. "Pull the one t'yer right! Aye, that one!" Gibbs ordered, crudely pointing to a rope. As soon as Leukere touched the right one, he nodded vigorously. "Aye! Now pull it! See how it loosens?" Gibbs asked.

Leukere nodded in reply. "Now notice that as that loosens, one of the other ropes tighten! You need to cut whichever one tightens! And double-check! You don't want to cut the wrong rope!" Gibbs continued to shout. Supervising Leukere for a minute more – for that was all that pitiful Leukere was worth – Gibbs turned his attention to other matters. Like the three crew members that were assigned to tie down a few sails to the railing.

But they had to make sure that the sails were secured; that could mean using more than one rope and repeating the process maybe twice. "Are ye done yet, James?" Gibbs asked. James, a fairly young lad to Gibbs turned his head at the mention of his name. Realizing that a question was being asked of him, he replied, "Almost!"

Gibbs looked about. They were replacing the white sails with black ones. The task was grueling, arduous, and took an eternity to finish. If they wanted the ship to land in a port as wanted as that one, they needed white sails. So they had replaced the tattered black sails with clean white ones. All this just so that they could go unrecognized.

It was a pity, so much work to do for something so insignificant. In fact, he didn't even see why they had to stop at this godforsaken port. It was so dull. Jack had said that it was important. Well, Gibbs didn't see what was so important about anything. Jack had ignored all of Gibb's protests and hadn't explained his reasoning. But then again, that was Jack and you simply had to live with what he threw at you. Complaining would get you nowhere and trying to understand Jack's reasoning would give you a major headache.

Setting his thoughts behind him, Gibbs went back to shouting even more orders.

* * *

The storm was going to come soon. Jack could feel it. Just by paying attention to the way his beloved ship rocked, he could tell. And the storm was going to be anything but light and gentle.

He closed his eyes once more, trying to elevate himself to a state of tranquility. But he couldn't. The thought that a storm was soon approaching their wary ship set Jack into restlessness. Now it would be impossible for him to achieve any form of peace.

"Ay, I hope we have rum," Jack grumbled to himself. He got up off his bed and went back outside. There was no point in being cooped up in his quarters. That was only going to prolong his job.

* * *

Karyane sat immobilized. The sound that she heard was thunder. Panic fled through her and she felt like puking. The ship rolled violently and it all signified only one thing. The storm had arrived.

* * *

**A/N: There. It's finally done. I'm SOOOO sorry about the long wait. It's all my fault. I had everything written about two weeks ago except for the last part where Jack is thinking to himself. That's the only thing that kept the story from getting up. That and my laziness.**

**I will honestly try to get Chapter 4 up as soon as possible. Hopefully next week. Oh yeah, Plz review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Scratched Glass**

_Chapter 4_

**A/N: Sorry it took me this long to post the chapter, but I couldn't find the pages. Anywayz, here it is. Enjoy!**

She was thrown backward, along with Karyane. Hours had already passed and hours of this merciless suffering was yet to come.

Karyane had already vomited twice and her skin had paled to a whitish snow color. Zenakabee knew how fearful her step-sister was of thunder and lightning.

She closed her eyes and heard sickening belching. The slight of her sibling's once beautiful jet black hair sticking to her pale face and puke all over her front was disgusting. Nevertheless, she went over to her side and tried to ease the pain.

* * *

Jack went quickly to his quarters. He needed to get out the water in his boots. Badly. He had been out in the harsh winds for over five hours, helping his men tie down sails, cut a few lose, and above all, trying to keep the ship on the right course. 

He sat down on his bed and took off his boots. He started squishing the soles to get out as much water as possible. He squeezed and squeezed with whatever might was left in him. His palms throbbed with a dull pain and a stream of blood was flowing from the middle of his arm. Just below his elbow, a cut was neatly placed. It had gotten there through the friction of two ropes. But he was too tired to remember the details.

Gibbs came running into his quarters and hurriedly asked, "Which sail would you rather lose? A small one or the biggest one that won't free itself from a mast?"

"The one that's wrapped around the mast," Jack answered. "And close the door!" he yelled as freezing cold rain came flying into the room. Gibbs went running out of the room and closed the door behind him.

"Damned storm," Jack thought to himself. In actuality, he was thanking whoever was up there. The storm was lighter than expected and would probably end within and hour or two. _"If _the storm didn't pick up," Jack mumbled to himself. "And that's a pretty big if."

* * *

Zenakabee heard a man coming down the row of stairs where she and Karyane were staying. The ship had stopped its violent rocking awhile ago. And thank God for that. Karyane had puked twice more. How that much food could come up was beyond Zenakabee. 

"The captain's calling you. The storm's over," he informed her and a sleeping Karyane. He took out a pair of keys and unlocked the cell. "Wake up y'er friend, we don't want to keep the captain waiting for too long."

Zenakabee scowled at the words and roused her sleeping step. It broke her heart to wake the suffering girl to what was probably going to be even more misery. "Karyane...Karyane...wake up. The captain wants to see us," she said in a hushed voice. By now, all of her previous anger at the girl had seeped away. Instead, it was replaced with pure sympathy. She watched as Karyane's eyelids fluttered open to reveal a vast sea of a beautiful green shade. "Come on. Get up Karyane."

Karyane rose slightly, perched on her elbows, drowsiness still clouding her vision. "Hurry up with the girl!" the pirate shouted, obviously tired of waiting.

"Why should I!" Zenakabee retorted. She was sick and tired of taking orders from someone else, especially men. First her father, then Tom, then the barber, then the men at the party, then Jack, and now this stupid idiot. Who did he think he was! A king or something!

"Because the captain is waiting!" the pirate roared. He, too, had had a testing day. He hadn'tbeen able to getmuch sleep before the storm and on top of that, the storm had drained him of virtually all of his energy. His hands ached from working the sails, his head still spun slightly from the violent crashing of the waves, and his cuts and scratches amounted to so many that they were equivalent to a large gaping gash. Now, there was this pompous girl to deal with. Just because she was rich didn't mean that she could boss him around.

Zenakabee was shocked into silence. As the pirate spoke – or rather, shall I say, yelled at the top of his lungs – spit flew everywhere and now freckled her half-covered arms. "Fine, but you don't have to spit so much," she mumbled almost inaudibly.

Zenakabee helped Karyane up to a stooping position so that their heads wouldn't collide with the low ceiling of the cell. Stepping out, she put Karyane's arm on one of her own shoulders and held the now light girl by the waist.

She followed the pirate up the stairs and into a secluded room. The man knocked twice and a muffled reply of "enter" came from within.

The man followed orders and entered, as did Zenakabee and the weak Karyane. Their captor looked up from his papers and told the other pirate to leave.

"Yes, sir," he said obediently and left, closing the door behind him.

"How long has it been since she's eaten?" he asked, coming over and touching Karyane's cheek.

"Don't touch her, you vile creature!" Zenakabee shrieked and raised her free hand to slap him. But he caught it in mid-air and held it there. Slowly, he put her hand back down to her side.

"Stop arguing with me or else I'll throw you overboard. Now answer my question. How long has it been since she's eaten?" he asked and removed Zenakabee's hand from Karyane's waist. He replaced his own hand by the thin girl's waist and took her arm and threw it over his shoulder. He picked her up into his arms gently and took her to his bed.

"Over a day. She hadn't eaten all day yesterday. And she skipped dinner the night before. Plus, she's thrown up at least five times in that cell," Zenakabee mumbled, torn between two choices. Let her step sister stay in the care of the gentle and sincere man or rescue her sibling from the hands of the vermin?

"What?" he asked, dumbfounded. "Why didn't she eat for that long? And why did she throw up so many times?" he continued, worry now seeping into the threads of his voice and lining it. Amazing what emotions could do to a person's countenance and their approach on things. Not one minute ago this man was threatening to throw a defenseless woman overboard and now he had turned to a jelly. Poke it and it'll move, transfigure, and take a different form. Even if the form was only slightly different from the form before it, it had still changed form. And if poked enough, that jelly could change shapes entirely. And that's what Jack had done. Amazing really, if you think about it.

"It's not right to eat the day of the ball. There is a possibility that you won't fit into your gown. And then that gown would be useless. Even if you did somehow manage to fit into it, your stomach might bulge a little bit too much and then everyone would make you the butt of their jokes for the next few days or so. It's only a few days, but still, who wants to suffer the humility?" she explained. After a second more of thought, she added, with venom edged into her voice, "And besides, we didn't know that we'd be captured by you." See? There emotion went again. First she was talking about fat and humiliation and now she was peeved at her captor and wanted nothing better than to strangle him thoroughly and then spit on his dead body. There was the jelly-like transformation once more.

"But why did she throw up?" Jack continued, not wanting to argue with something that he didn't understand. Socialites, he didn't know them, he didn't like them, and didn't want to have to stoop down to such low measures of doing such.

"She's dead scared of thunder."

After a long pause, he mumbled, "the poor thing," and caressed Karyane's cheek. The girl had fallen asleep once more. She had endured hunger, fear, physical pain and she hadn't relented. But once the wave of drowsiness rolled past her, she tumbled into its welcoming arms. And now she was resting in a deep slumber.

"Tell me one thing, you…you…you pirate," Zenakabee stumbled for the right words.

Jack sighed exasperatedly, "I give up. There's just no point in trying to teach these lowly people my correct name. Either they forget the Jack or the Sparrow and then the somewhat smart ones go and screw up the best part of it, Captain. What's a man without his title? I give up. I simply give up."

"Fien then, Sparrow. Tell me why you're pretending to care for my sister?" Zenakabee asked, suspicious of the man's real intentions. I mean, add two and two and what do you think the answer is? _The man is a vicious pirate that is probably full of lust and Karyane is a pretty, defenseless, semi-virgin girl. **Very** pretty,_ thought Zenakabee._ The manis the first two and Karyaneis the second two. And the two don't sum up to five either, which was he was the excuse 'I was just trying to protect her'!_

Jack looked up from Karyane's face and solemnly said, "I owe it to her. She helped me out and plus you should be thankful. She came here to save you."

"What? She wouldn't be crazy enough to risk her safety just to get my poor arse home. No one would do that. Not even me!" Zenakabee dismissed with a wave of her hand.

By now, Jack was thoroughly exasperated. His patience was wearing thin, as thin as a poor beggar's clothes are at the end of a harsh winter. That ought to give you an idea of how close he was to fulfilling his idea of throwing Zenakabee overboard. Nevertheless, he tried."Gibbs found her dangling on a rope and trying to get onboard to save you. How she found the right ship, I don't know. But I do know that she was lucky enought notto plunge into the depths of the ocean or hit the wood of the port itself. She would have either drowned to her pitiful death or crashed her head open," he explained.

"The water...it's shallow. She would've survived. Even if she doesn't know how to swim, the water is only a foot or two deep," Zenakabee stuttered, trying to ease her conscience. In return, Jack shook his head at the pitiful excuse that she was coming up with.

"Only a fool would think that. The water is about five feet deep where the wooden plankings of the port start. From there on, the water get deeper. One of the reasons that ports exist is so that a ship can easily reach land without hitting shallow water or the owner of the ship worrying about its safety," Jack continued, trying not to lose what little sanity he had left. The girl was obviously as stubborn as any ass that he had ever seen.

"Where the Pearl stood, the waters were a good twenty-five feet deep," he informed. Zenakabee stood there for a minute, letting the facts seep in.

"How did she help you out?" Zenakabee asked after a long pause, her conscience finally allowing her to hold a decent conversation with this man.

"That's for me to know and for you to find out," he answered, smirking ever so slightly as his eyes returned to Karyane's face.

**A/N: Did you like it? Plz r/r and tell me, cuz reviews really make my day. :D**


	5. Chapter 5

**Scratched Glass**

_Chapter 5_

**A/N: Here's chapter 5. **

"I'm bored," Zenakabee mused aloud. Two days had passed since the storm and both Karyane and Zenakabee had been moved from their cramped cell to a room below deck. It was _very_ small for one person, let alone two girls, but it was cozy, kept them warm at night, and the beds were fairly soft. Zenakabee had complained on the first day, but Karyane had persuaded her into thinking that the room wasn't all that bad.

"Well, what do you propose that we do?" Karyane asked irritably, more than a little annoyed at Zenakabee's constant complaining. Zenakabee shot a quick glare at her and resumedwith inspecting her nails and fretting about with her dress. Once the storm had passed, the two were slowly returning to their usual relationship with each other, that of two steps that envied one another.

Suddenly, Zenakabee's eyes brightened and her face lit up. Eyeing the grin that slowly splayed itself upon Zenakabee's lips, Karyane asked, "What are you thinking about this time?"

"You want to know?" Zenakabee asked, just to make sure.

Noticing that her sibling's once dull eyes had abruptly started dancing with merriment, Karyane spoke slowly, "I think I'd be safer _not_ knowing."

Ignoring her comment, Zenakabee started, "Let's go up on deck. We can see how these bloody pirates function and what they . . . " she was cut off here by her wide-eyed step.

"Have you lost your _mind?_ These are _pirates_ we're talking about, Zenakabee. Not dolls that you can pick up and observe momentarily only to place them back down. Who _knows_ what they might think of our gesture. They might get the wrong notion or something," Karyane said incredulously. Was this really the Zenakabee that she knew? Impossible; it was probably just an imposter trying to get Karyane to go up on deck and then get herself killed. But lord, these pirates were extremely clever to dress themselves so much like Zenakabee would. _Who am I kidding?_

"You were never one to care about other people's notions," Zenakabee retorted, not liking the idea that someone was going to ruin her fun.

"And you were never one to come up with ridiculous ideas!" Karyane shouted right back. Her tone of voice was childish, but her words made perfect sense.

"You're... you're just jealous that I'm the one who came up with such an ingenious idea," Zenakabee spat back viciously. It had taken her a moment or two to think up of what to say since, in all honesty, she half-agreed with Karyane.

Glaring at Zenakabee's stubbornness, Karyane shook her head. "You're pathetic," she murmured, her eyesturning to mereslits. She had no idea that her sister would stoop so low just to occupy herself.

"Oh, stop glaring at me like that," Zenakabee said in a matter-of-fact tone, waving her hand in dismissal. "Come on. At least we'll be doing _something,_" she said cheerfully, grabbing Karyane by the arm and dragging her out of the small room that they were in.

"The sea is really getting to her," Karyane mumbled as she closed the door behind her and met darkness, even though shewas fairly sure that it was barely even afternoon. There was a single lantern hanging a good distance away from them and that was just about the only source of light that reached the girls' eyes. "Why does it have to be so dark?" she whined anxiously. Thunder, lightning, the dark, heights, and deep water; she feared all five things.

"Stop being so childish. Our room is situated below deck so obviously, there would be very little light around here. That lantern probably signifies a half-way mark to steps or something of that sort," Zenakabee snapped, common sense ruling out any fear that might have existed in her mind. Unlike the usually meek Karyane, Zenakabee's attitude was much sharper. Albeit, it was Zenakabee's physical appearance that was less prominent, but she had grown accustomed to it. Karyane was taller, 5'8" or 5'9" to her 5'4", her chin and nose were as pointed as those of any French woman, her eyes were much bigger and their color more intriguing, and her waist-length black hair shined as brightly. With her snow-white skin and intense features, Karyane resembled an expensive, but nevertheless beautiful, doll in an antiques shop. Zenakabee, on the other hand, was content with the beauty ofonly her medium-length hair. Deep brown strands reached the middle of her back and rest in waves. Karyane's hair was thick, but Zenakabee's was far more voluminous. Besides that, she was like any other girl on the island of Haiti. Sure, her skin wasn't as dark as all of the slaves there- it was the same tone as the other French girls that spent their time in the sun -but shedid have the usualsoft brown eyes and a short, healthy frame.

_It was mother,_ Zenakabee thought wistfully. Her mother was ayoung Spanish girl who had married her French father,Edward Reule, and given birth to Zenakabee. She had inherited practically all of her mother's features.

By the time that Zenakabee's thoughts finished playing themselves, they had reached the lantern. Waking up from her thoughts, she noticed that Karyane was holding onto her hand. "Why do you have a hold on my hand?" she questioned airily. Karyane might be prettier than her, but Zenakabee was much, **much** more independent.

Glaring once more, Karyane spoke her fears aloud. "I don't like the dark." _If I'm going to say it, I may as well be dignified about it,_ Karyane thought grudgingly. _And I might as well forget the fact that Zenakabee is judging me and will probably mock me at some later point._

* * *

Adelaide Reule sat cross-legged on the soft white sofa. A French designer, Mr. Francois Aiton, had come to show Adelaide some of the latest wedding gowns that he had fashioned. Mr. Aiton, curious as to who would wear the creation that Mrs. Reule chose, voiced his question aloud. "Why, my only daughter, beloved Karyane. You've seen her, haven't you? She left for Haiti to visit her father just after Christmas. And now, I believe, she's staying in Port Royal," Adelaide said, a smile on her lips. 

"Ah yes, I remember her. Very fair young lady. Looks like an exact replica of her deceased and yet elegant grandmere. She_ is_ the one who attended the Christmas ball at the LeFabre's mansion?" he asked, just to be sure that he was remembering the right girl. Adelaide nodded slightly, touching one of the delicate gowns. "Yes, very beautiful," he continued. "Caught _quite_ a few eyes, may I say," he smiled pleasantly. But after a moment more of thinking, a thoughtful look creased his face and he asked, "But I thought that Mr. Reule wanted to have his other daughter get married first."

Suddenly, Adelaide's easy-going visage turned to steel at the mention of Zenakabee. "Yes, well, we shall see..." she trailed off, a cold and cruel smirk taking over her face. She had married Edward twelve years ago. At that time, Edward had lost his wife and was in desperate need for someone with a pretty face that was willing to help him take care of Zenakabee. Adelaide, mother of one and a widow, had been that pretty face. But she despised Edward's brat of a child and was merely interested in his money. In comparison to her own blooming six-year old (Karyane was five when Adelaide first met Edward and was six by the time of their marriage) Zenakabee resembled a housemaid in Adelaide's eyes. Why Karyane was nice to Zenakabee was beyond her. All she knew was that Zenakabee was a constant reminder of Edward's past.

Noticing that he had touched a sore spot, Mr. Aiton changed the topic. "So, who is the lucky man?" he asked cheerfully, pretending that he hadn't seen Adelaide's mood swing.

Glad that they were once more discussing her prized daughter, Adelaide replied, "Greenely. He was the smart young boy that settled that deal. You remember him, don't you?" she asked, her mood once more carefree.

"Yes," Mr. Aiton spoke softly, trying to hide his disappointment. Oh yes, he remembered Thomas Greenely all right. But smart wasn't exactly one of the adjectives that he thought fit Thomas. Dense, passive, clingy, and always worshiping Karyane. He was almost positive that Karyane had **fled **to Haiti to seek refuge from Thomas, instead of simply going there to visit her father. Indeed, Thomas had Karyane's best in mind, but he just...he didn't seem apt for the lovely Karyane. She was like a beautiful bird waiting to be set free and yet her family, Edward and Adelaide, refused to see that. They might have thought that they had her well being in mind, but the whole world saw what was best for her heart.

* * *

"I still can't believe that we're doing this," Karyane whispered furiously in Zenakabee's ear. Zenakabee, as usual, ignored her younger sister's protests and smiled brilliantly, holding up one hand to shade her eyes from the sun. 

"Sod it, deary. We're already up here and there's nothing that you can do about it," Zenakabee told her, exasperated that her methods were always being contradicted. Karyane opened her mouth to argue, but an elbow found its way to her stomach. She was forced to double over and clutch her stomach in pain.

"May I help you?" came a resonating voice and the girl in pain looked up to see their captorglaring at Zenakabee in an impatient manner.

"We were bored and decided to come up here," Zenakabee spoke with a defiant voice and stood her ground firmly.

Noticing Jack's angry look, Karyane corrected, "She. It was all her idea. I had no part in her stupidity." There was no visible change on Jack's face, but Karyane had a pretty good feeling that he was smiling somewhere inside his heart. _Does he even have a heart?_ she questioned herself.

"All right, just don't bother anyone," he grumbled, deciding that it was better to let the obnoxious girl go rather than rage at her. He turned and headed towards the helm of the ship. Zenakabee, taking advantage of the fact that she wasn't in trouble, grabbed Karyane's arm and followed after Jack. Knowing better than to protest,she let Zenakabee lead her around and remained quiet. As the two girls stepped next to Jack, Zenakabee drawled, "So what do you do? Stare at the ocean all day long?"

Jack, taken by surprise, jumped a foot in the air. Once he was back on the ground, however,he glowered menacingly at the girl that had disturbed him by one, talking and two, insulting his profession. This gesture, oh so kind as it was, however failed to have any effect on Zenakabee and she continued, "Remind me. What's your name again?" Immediately, her sibling knew what she up to. _She's mocking him. She's trying toact superior and see if he'll get angry._ Jack, like Karyane, knew this and grumbled at the girl's antics.

"I thought I told you not to bother anyone." Here, he paused, looking as if though he was making some sort of a decision. Finally, he called, "Gibbs, get these two out of here. Put them in my quarters or something. I don't want them in my way." Gibbs came hurrying over and ushered the two away from the bow of the ship.

Zenakabee started grumbling and Karyane whispered in her ear. "I told you this wasn't a good idea."

* * *

"I want every ship in this godforsaken port out there, searching for my daughters!" Edward shouted at the two naval officers in front of him. They quickly went into action, running back to Commodore Norrington to deliver the message. Thomas Greeneley stood a few feet away from Edward and was talking to three officers on horses, describing what Karyane and Zenakabee looked like. 

"One is of medium height. Brown hair, yes, yes. Brown eyes, medium-colored skin. Argues quiet a bit. The other one's much taller, long black hair with green eyes. She's French and impossible to miss. Very striking," he informed them. One of the officers repeated Thomas's words to a scribe who wrote down the descriptions rather difficultly. After all, he had nothing to put his scroll of parchment on, besides his hand.

"If you find them around town, send them to Mr. Reule's manor in Port-Au-Prince in Haiti. That's where the two of us will be staying," he continued hurriedly. A day had already passed and the second was in the process of doing so as the sun set. When he heard that both Karyane and Zenakabee were missing, which was yesterday morning, he had found their father and relayed to him the concernthat Karyane had told him the night before. He was lucky to be standing. The only reason that Edward hadn't killed Thomas for letting Karyane go was because he would have done the same thing. "You can never tell when a girl like her is lying and when she's telling the truth," Edward muttered to himself as he paced up and down the room.

Thomas had agreed with Edward for the sake of his own safety, but he still couldn't shake off the guilty feeling. Karyane had come to _him, _confided in _him_, and what had he done? He had laughed at her openly. Thomas inwardly winced as he remembered Karyane's look right before she left. First, she had conveyed confusion, then determination, and right before she left from the front entrance of the mansion, he had caught her eye and she looked at him like one would look at a rat.

He shook his head and made a resolution, a very big resolution, to Karyane - wherever she was. "Don't worry, I'll find you," he spoke softly to the wind and his words drifted away into nothingness.

* * *

"Yes, Gibbs, I'm fine," Jack said, trying to get rid of a worrisome Gibbs. 

"Women, they're..." Gibbs started, obviously trying to persuade his captain into getting rid of the girls.

"They're bad luck. I know, I know," finished an exasperated Jack. "Look, just leave them to me. And besides, I need to talk to one of them. Now just go," and finally Jack rid himself of Gibbs by simply slamming the door shut in the other man's face.

"Why do you need to talk to one of them? Why is the damned girl so important to whatever your plan is?" came Gibbs's voice. Ignoring his good mate's concerns, Jack turned around and his eyes popped out of his sockets. Well, they would have, if only it was possible. _Right now, I just want to strangle her,_ he thought as red fury clouded his vision, allowing no form of sense into his mind.

**A/N: omg, I'm shocked. I just checked the reviews for this fic before uploading the chappie. Wow, I can't believe so many of you actually remember my fic. -sniffles- I'm touched. Thanx a bunch to everyone! -throws Hersheys chocolate to everyone- I hope you liked the chapter. (and the chocolate as well, lol)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Scratched Glass**

_Chapter 6_

**A/N/Disclaimer: I replaced the a/n with the actual chapter 4. For those of you that didn't know that, it's up there so you can go and read it if the story is confusing you. I do not own Pirates of the Caribbean. I wish I did. Here's the chapter. Sorry it took a lot of time, but it's fairly long. Hope you guys enjoy!**

"What the hell do you think you're doing!" he shouted at Zenakabee's face, grabbing a hold of her shoulders and shaking her vehemently. "Are you crazy or something!" this time spit flew into her face.

"I was…I was…" her speech faltered and Jack cut her off, too angry to wait for an explanation.

"Go…go…sit on the bed or something. And stay _away_ from my papers!" he warned her, his eyes substituting words as a threat. Zenakabee, scared out of her wits for once during the whole ordeal, followed his orders and sat down next to an apathetic looking Karyane on the large bed. As she fidgeted with her hands, Jack gathered the scattered papers on his desk in a clumsy stack and whirled around to face the two sisters.

"What.were.you.doing?" he forced through gritted teeth, willing himself to remain calm. But to no avail, the large throbbing vein on the side of his temple gave his anger away. Even Karyane, who had contained herself before, was scared in response to the expression on his face. His high cheekbones looked like they were out of air and somewhat gaunt, his mouth had forced itself into a thin and severe line, and his eyes had turned as hard as steel.

Zenakabee stuttered and Karyane was speechless, not sure if a response would ease the tension or only make the man in front of her even angrier. Finally, Jack held up a raised palm, much like a stop signal, to silence Zenakabee. She, in turn, fell quiet. Pacing up and down with his hands behind his back, Jack muttered to himself and both girls sat in a silence of fear, their eyes downcast.

Doing his best to bite down his anger, his voice came out strangled in a half-bark, "Explain."

"I…we…" here Karyane glared pointedly at Zenakabee. Zenakabee, looking only at Jack, her eyes brimming with fear, failed to notice her sister's gesture. "We were just sitting. And I was, I was just looking around," Zenakabee said lamely, for once at a loss for words. Which, much to Karyane's surprise for she knew her step-sister fairly well, was a shock. Usually, Zenakabee could come up with an immediate answer and dress it up with her knowledge of words. But for some odd reason, Jack's sudden and half-unexpected anger had stricken dumb. Half is used in this case since anger is the only emotion that I can imagine one would convey after they have just found out that someone has been going through their private things. And anger was just the emotion that Jack emanated. But I suppose that Zenakabee did not expect anyone to _actually_ get angry at her.

"I don't _ever _want you going through my things. That's my personal property. And if I ever do see either of you meddling with my things, I will personally…"Jack threatened, his voice carrying a sharp edge of fury. But before he could finish his sentence, Karyane interjected.

"You'll do what?" she spat, her own anger getting the best of her. "I saw those papers. I saw your writing. Forget about what we did. I want to know what you are planning on doing," she seethed, glaring at Jack with hate. "You were going to kill him, weren't you!" she shouted, her emotion taking control of her, her mind egging her to jump up and off of the bed. "You were going to kill him, you vile, despicable creature!" she yelled and suddenly ran at Jack, aiming to tackle him. But Jack caught her fists and held them to her sides.

"You…don't…" his words came out with extreme difficulty. Karyane might have been thin, but she could muster up enough fire power to bring down an entire monarchy if she wanted to. Rarely did she ever show such outbursts of raw behavior, but every once in a blue moon, she would expose herself. And it was definitely not a pretty sight. "Get off me woman!" he yelled and finally managed to push her off of him. Looking peeved at the fact that _he_ was the one being attacked, Jack glared at Karyane, who glared right back.

"I don't what? I don't what, huh? Explain yourself. I saw my name in those…" she trailed off, gesturing wildly at the papers on Jack's desk. Since both of them understood what she was talking about, she went on, "How do you know who I am? And what do you want with me?" she asked, her eyes never relenting in their task of glaring at the man standing opposite her. She was starting to get a headache from all of the commotion and felt very weak, but she wouldn't rest until she received a satisfying answer.

Sighing, Jack told her gruffly. "All right. I'll tell you. Let me…let me sit down." And so he did, resting his head in his hands and kneading his forehead. Looking up suddenly to the fuming Karyane, he asked, "Is there any way out of this?" She let out an angered huff which sufficiently answered his question.

"I took you hostage a while ago because I needed to see Thomas Greeneley," Jack began, but once more Karyane broke in.

"You were going to kill him. I hardly see how you relate seeing someone with killing them," she spat venomously, wanting nothing better than to launch herself at Jack once more.

"Bloody hell, will you shut up and let me explain?" Jack retorted, his own voice vicious. Indeed, he too was exasperated, infuriated even, with all the events that were going on. With all her effort Karyane, _literally_ bit on her tongue, deciding to hear what he had to say. "He had…information. I've been after Thomas for months now. Then I heard that he had…a thing for you," he explained, flustered and unsure of what to call Thomas's attraction to Karyane. Looking up to stare into said girl's green orbs, he added, "And I can see why." Here Zenakabee snorted and both heads turned to look at her, eyebrows quirking upward. "Anyway, I decided that if I had you then I might be able to get the bloody bastard to talk. He's been avoiding me. In fact, he'd like to have me dead."

Snubbing the thought, _Anyone would like to have you dead,_ Karyane asked sharply, "What information?"

"He killed him," Jack said simply and a sort of fire seemed to kindle in his eyes. Looking closely, Karyane saw not only raw fury, but something more. She could tell. There was an urgency to get to the bottom of _something_, to solve a matter. And it was plaguing Jack like an illness.

Noticing the intrigued and yet confused look on Karyane's face, Jack tried explaining, "Thomas knew the same man that I was friend's with. He was friends with him as well. And not just any friend, the man was…close…to the both of us. Or at least I assumed the both of us at one time. But that's not the point. Certain men were after my friend. Why, I have no clue. Who they were, I'm not sure. But I do know that they were hunting him, like poachers hunt for animals. Once, he even told me that he wasn't safe. I didn't understand what he meant by at that time. But I do now. He knew that they wanted his life. And he knew that they would most likely try getting to him through his family. So he was always on the move. It was a real hassle for him, his wife, and children, but eventually, he managed to find a fairly desolate island. He planned on living there for the rest of his life with his family and building a comfortable home. He even told me that I could come and visit sometime," Jack stopped abruptly, trying not to choke on his words. But in a motion of defiance, Jack went on, plunging through his rough emotions.

"Knowing that his contact with the rest of the world would be cut off, he told only three people about where he lived. One of them was killed. He was found and killed by whichever man or men were trying to find my friend. But when they found that Greeneley bastard, he weakened. That bastard weakened and told them where he was."

And with both his story and stamina to go on finished, Jack lapsed into a sudden silence.

Karyane's features softened as she began to understand a part of what was going on inside of the pirate that was sitting in front of her. Even Zenakabee, the girl who was quaking in fear just awhile ago, was hushed in a show of understanding. Jack, meanwhile, gazed blankly into space, unmoving.

Feeling semi-guilty for judging him so quickly, but still ready with so many question, Karyane was torn. Should she let him enjoy his silence or interrogate him to her heart's content. Jack looked up and their eyes met for a few _very_ awkward seconds. To Karyane, the time seemed everlasting as she gazed into his soft brown eyes.

Her knees suddenly were not willing to support her weight; Karyane wondered what was going on with her. Her own green pupils became lost amongst his chocolate-colored pools. She felt out of place and suddenly uncertain of who she was. Confused and extremely disoriented, she tried doing something with her hands. But with nothing to hold onto and nothing to sit on, her tall frame seemed to stick out like an eyesore in her mind.

Jack looked carefully into Karyane's eyes and felt pretty odd himself. Why was this girl looking so intently at him? Why was he still staring at her? And wasn't this same girl yelling at him just a second ago?

"What?" he asked slowly, drawing the word out.

The question seemed to wake Karyane from her reverie, for she shook her head, her eyes coming back into focus. Willing herself not to blush, she tried being sincere, "I'm sorry," she mumbled and her gaze fell short of Jack's and landed on the floor. He merely nodded.

Another pause fell between the occupants of the room, but this one wasn't nearly as bad as the last.

"I need you," Jack said suddenly. His statement caused another indignant snort out of Zenakabee. "What?" Jack asked a skeptical look on his face. Karyane too had whipped her head to look at her sister. Knowing Zenakabee, she would think of something irrational, stupid, and just plain absurd. Even Jack, who barely knew Zenakabee, eyed the girl suspiciously.

"All the lovely _vibes_ that are emanating from you two are suffocating me," she snapped, cocking an eyebrow in their direction. Her sister blushed a light pink, but Jack continued to stare persistently at her. "Just thought I'd let you know," she added in a sweet angelic voice, coming up with a fake smile that flashed her white teeth as well.

"Your antics are frustrating lass. What I meant by is that I need your sister to help me find out just exactly what happened. She knows Thomas Greeneley, who knows the men I'm looking for. Without her help, I'll get absolutely nowhere," Jack emphasized the last part, looking meaningfully at Karyane.

"I…I…" Karyane faltered under Jack's gaze. She had absolutely no idea of what to do.

Yes, he seemed honest, but did she really trust him? Surely that friend must have meant a lot to him, since he was willing to take many risks. But what about Thomas?

Suddenly, Zenakabee butted in out of nowhere, "Why her?"

"What do you mean by?" A very tired expression coming over Jack's face. All in all, he **really **didn't like this girl.

"Why do you need her? Why not me?"

Sighing and attempting to remain composed, Jack replied coolly, "He's love struck with your sister. Not you. I'm not sure about you, but I think he'd be more willing to listen to whatever she has to say instead of you. Especially when you consider the fact that staring at her is probably one of his preferred habits." The comment succeeded in silencing Zenakabee, though she did so with a fierce look in Jack's direction.

"I…I need to think," came the whispered reply from Karyane. As quiet as her voice was, it delivered utter silence and drew both inhabitants' attention to her. With a sigh that relented authority to the shy girl placed in front of him, Jack nodded. He told them that they could go to their room if they wanted to and both girls did just that, not really wanting to draw out the conversation longer than necessary.

II-- II--II

Yawning tiredly, Karyane dragged the wooden comb through the knots that had now become her hair. Two days had passed since her conversation with Jack and yet it seemed like it was merely two seconds ago. The memory of his eyes, the uncommon show of emotion, and the altogether pleading look had not removed itself from Karyane's mind. On the contrary, it had fixed itself onto a screen that forced itself to be played over and over.

Sighing, Karyane put the comb down on the desk. She had not yet decided whether she should help the pirate out or not. And it was odd, if she still referred to him as a pirate instead of his name, how was she going to help him out? Shaking her head, she wondered whether she thought about things too much.

_I can't…I can't simply say 'okay, sure, I'll do whatever you ask of me' when I barely even know him. And I can't agree to anything without a thorough knowledge of what's going on. Because honestly, I know practically **nothing **about what's going to happen if I do indeed agree. _

Karyane looked to her sleeping sister and shrugged herself into her own small cot. Pulling the thinning blanket over her, she snuggled into the tiny and yet comfy pillow, she tried to decide what to do.

Stretching and deciding to go to sleep, one thought fluttered its way merrily into Karyane's mind, _I need Jack to say or do something to help me, because…because what? Because I simply can't decide by myself._

II-- II-- II

"I don't like eating dinner here," Zenakabee whined, looking at her reflection in the cracked, dirtying, and very small mirror that hung on the wall.

"Tough luck," came her sister's hard as stone reply.

"Let's do something fun."

"This is not an arcade that we're attending."

"We can make it into one," came Zenakabee's voice, her face flushed with what was obviously excitement.

"I don't like your idea of fun. It's pointless. And last time I went along with your idea of 'fun' I ended up yelled at and forced into an uncomfortable position," Karyane told her, narrowing her eyes sadistically at her sister. "And truth be told, your idea of fun scares me. There I said it. It scares me."

"You're not being fair."

"Life isn't fair. Get used to it."

"You a prat"

Taken aback at her sister's alternative of resorting to childish comebacks, Karyane looked at her questioningly.

"And you're stupid," continued Zenakabee.

The first comment had failed in fazing its beneficiary, but the latter had not. It accomplished its goal in hitting a nerve. Karyane did not like Zenakabee reminding her that she had received more of an education than Karyane had. Her parents had deemed schooling as unnecessary and preferred that Karyane be tutored in etiquette, the piano, French, refinement of ones physical appearance, and other such proprieties. They had also deemed that Karyane was too good to attend a school of any sort and had instead sent Zenakabee off to a boarding school.

"And you're ugly," Karyane snarled, her face contorting with rage, making her usually collected and beautiful face transfigure itself into a hideous _thing_ that suited an animal much rather a girl of her stature.

Zenakabee's own eyes narrowed, startled. She knew she shouldn't have attacked Karyane like that, but she was fed up with having everyone tell her what to do. And frankly, she had not actually expected Karyane to be so snide. Letting out a humph of annoyance, she went back to her plate of food. And the two girls remained this way, occasionally looking up to throw malevolent glances at one another.

II -- II – II

A whole week had passed since Jack had asked Karyane of assistance. And for a whole week, the idea had pestered her. It had bugged her in her sleep, bugged her while she was eating. It even reached to the point where it bothered her while she was arguing with Zenakabee. And arguing with Zenakabee happened all too often.

_Much too often,_ Karyane thought in despair to herself. They argued, fought, spat at, and glared menacingly at each other to the extent where even their resolves to continue with the pointless quarrelling felt tired. They would frequently find themselves second-guessing whether they should go on or not.

"I'm going up on deck," Karyane announced, feeling very jaded with the same old scenery. She did not want to admit it to Zenakabee, but she was bored. And admitting that would be like admitting that she was wrong. In fact, it was. And that was exactly why she didn't admit to anything.

Looking up sharply, Zenakabee huffed and mumbled something incoherent to which Karyane paid no attention. _If I was going to listen to her all the time then I would get absolutely nowhere._

II – II – II

Karyane stepped out into the sunlight and shaded her eyes from the brilliantly shining sun. She stepped out next to the edge and looked down as a spray of seawater assaulted her. Quickly stepping back from the deep waters, not without a gulp of fear however, and the sea, she looked around.

As soon as she did so five or six men turned their heads quickly back to their work. And undeniably, she was a sight to see. Her waist-length hair, even though it had just been combed, whipped its way around her, random strands flying into her face. Her once glamorous dress was now unidentifiable. Not only was it rapidly thinning, but it had also started to lose its vibrant color. Her face was even paler than before, since she had not witnessed a single ray of sunshine, and appeared ghostly-white. And her usually smiling eyes were flat and monotonous, not willing to do more than gaze uninterestedly at whatever object came before them.

Slowly and with much pain – her leg muscles were cramped and moved unsurely over the planking of the ship – Karyane walked over to the nearest pirate. "You," she pointed bluntly at him, her legs slipping, forcing her to hold onto a railing, as the ship tipped gently to one side. Looking over the edge and pushing down the urge to vomit, she asked softly, "Are the storms over?"

The pirate, hard of hearing, and more than accustomed to being shouted at, looked at her confusedly, cupping his ear.

Shouting over the waves and never-ending ruckus, which was caused by all the work, Karyane repeated her words. After that first storm, many more had come, some just as ferocious and others much more timid. But none had actually contained more brutality than that first horrible storm.

The pirate shouted back, though with much less effort than Karyane and a voice that projected itself twice as well, "Tha' was the last o' 'em." Karyane nodded and stood there, one hand firmly gripping the railing and the other shielding her eyes. Just as the pirate was about to walk away, moving onto another task, Karyane asked him yet another question.

"Where is Jack!" she shouted, both hands flying to the railing as the ship rocked viciously to one side, and emitting a high-pitched shriek as well. Looking at the girl oddly, he pointed to the helm of the ship, where Jack was standing, lazily steering the Pearl. She nodded thanks and headed over to him, her dreadful legs wobbling beneath her.

Even now, after a week, her legs had not adapted to the rolling waves that pitched the ship constantly. Positive that she looked green now, she walked slowly and held her hands out to steady herself. Finally reaching Jack, after what seemed like a million steps, she tried gathering as much of her dignity as possible and stuttered, "I… can … I … oh God … can we talk?" She slowly lowered her hands, trying to hide her horrible failure of walking and awkwardness.

The roguish man turned to look at her, a derisive look on his face. "Hold onto that rope," he said brusquely, gesturing to a rope beside him. Karyane, not willing to swallow anymore of the pride that she had already ingested, shook her head. "Stop being so bloody stubborn, just hold onto the rope," he told her, turning back to look out at sea. But Karyane still paid no heed. His patience wearing thin, he ordered in a steely voice, "You can easily be thrown overboard from your position here. And I'm more than certain that you don't know how to swim. With that said, I'm telling ye one last time to hold onto the blasted rope since I'm not going to go saving your damned arse like last time." This succeeded in muting the girl.

Glaring snidely, Karyane forced the word through closed teeth, "I was trying to be nice. You can at least try the same. Is it that damned difficult of a thing? And besides, we need to talk." Nevertheless, she held onto the rope as she was ordered to do so.

"You make the two of us sound like an aging married couple. I don't know about you, but I don't like the insinuation that I'm old. You might be old, but I'm still young," he told her, a smirk playing on his lips.

Biting back her shock at his knowledge of the word 'insinuation', she narrowed her eyes further. _I think I understand why Zenakabee hates him so much and goes on and on about what a git he is. _Extremely derogatory – especially of females – arrogant, Jack would generally come off as a prick to anyone passing, anyone that was civilized anyway. Not to mention that whenever he swayed so awkwardly, he looked like a deranged man on the lose. "I wasn't insinuating _anything_. I'm just saying that we need to talk."

"Fire away," he muttered sarcastically, which earned him a roll of the eyes from Karyane.

Inhaling deeply, she began, "Your plan. I can't decide. And … and it's ridiculous. How exactly am I going to contact Thomas?

There was a long pause until Jack decided to speak, his words slow and deliberate. Turning to look at Karyane, his hands still gripping the helm, Jack asked, "So you're considering it?" Karyane nodded, aware of the flicker of hope that resided deep within his voice. He cracked a grin similar to one that a five-year old would carry on Christmas day, a visible change coming over him. Not wanting to string him along, Karyane decided to point out that she was _only_ considering the idea.

"Well, since you might say yes, I'll tell you how I plan to get you and Thomas together," Jack ventured, a happy expression still carved into his features. Karyane shuddered inwardly at the thought that she was being paired in any sort of way with Thomas. "I'm almost positive that he'll try leaving Port Royal to come after your rescue. But I, as bright and cunning as I am, have come up with a plan for that, my fair lady." Here, he inserted a mock bow, a casual hand still steering the ship.

"Talk about modest," Karyane mumbled under her breath, wondering as to how she was going to survive with someone so full of themselves. _Zenakabee is bad enough._

"I heard that. But I'll pretend that I didn't for the sake of avoiding an argument. Now onto my idea. Thomas Greeneley will be leaving Port Royal for Haiti tomorrow. That's where your father lives, right?" She nodded yes.

"You, the beautiful, stunning, ravishing, elegant goddess that you are," Karyane's jaw fell open, her mind willing her to slap him for his forwardness. And she was about to do so, until he finished his train of thought, "will write a letter to him about your utter devotion to him. You will continue to say that you wish to meet him at the manor since the matter is urgent and your life depends on it. You will explain that you are held captive by cruel pirates that are threatening to kill you if you don't meet with him. Greeneley, being the stupid lovesick puppy that he is, will be smitten with the idea and will want to show to you the gallant knight in shining armor that he is. Then, once the letter is sent, the meeting will be held, you will gather whatever information I need you to, and off we are once again. Great idea isn't it?" Jack finished a haughty expression in his eyes.

"You're…you're stupid. Do you realize that if you are caught, you will be hanged? And you're forgetting about **_our_** safety here. What will happen to us? Do you honestly expect us to come back onto this godforsaken ship willingly?" she asked him, wondering if anyone could possibly be so dense. "Do you realize how many gaping holes, how many flaws, there are in the stupidity that you have devised?" she continued viciously, the sudden desire of** literally** knocking some sense into Jack coming over her.

"I do try," was the witty reply that he came up with.

"How funny. You seem to forget that Zenakabee and I can easily alert the authorities of your presence and that you will be captured," she retorted superciliously. _Hah, let's see him come up with an answer to that, that pinhead_.

"You would alert the authorities when you can spend the rest of your life with a dashing man like me out on the open sea? I think not, dearest," Jack told her cheekily, sparing her a look that showed nothing but glee.

Karyane sputtered incoherently, fury overcoming her visage and dismantling it to look like one of a livid sprite. "I'll…I'll…"

"So sorry m'dear, I take it back. So you agree to my plan?" Jack asked hurriedly, doubting that the girl would agree with him if he angered her.

"If you agree to call me by with the name that I was christened with at birth," she retorted sharply, her arms folded in front of her irritably.

"Fine then, _Karyane_, will you agree to aid me?" he asked, stressing her name unnecessarily.

Exhaling indignantly, Karyane turned her back on him and carefully walked down the steps, deciding that she should leave him without an answer. "Please," Jack added with a fair bit of annoyance in his tone.

A smile made its way across her face, eroding the previous frown. "Fine then. We have an accord." _But I'm going to hate this bloody man before it's over. And since when did I start saying bloody?_

**IMPORTANT: SINCE SCHOOL IS GOING TO START ON MONDAY, I WANT TO KNOW IF YOU GUYS WOULD LIKE SHORT CHAPTERS(2-3000 WORDS) POSTED EVERY 1-2 WEEKS (MAYBE LATER) OR LONG CHAPTERS (4000 WORDS +) EVERY 2-3 WEEKS (MAYBE EARLIER)? Plz tell me, it would help me out a lot.**

**There, with that said I'd like to thank everyone individually:**

**Blackcat69(**here it is and your welcome for the chocolate. Thanks a bunch for a reviewing**), Dawnie-7(**Yeah, Zenakabee has a tendency to irritate people like that. : Thanks for being a long time reviewer & I hope you liked the chapter**), CaptainCrimson(**Urgh, I was wondering about whether the helm was at the front or the back & I just assumed that it was at the front. Thanx for catching my mistake. I hope you like the chapter!**), Queen.Bowie.Jack.Sparrow.Lover(** I'm glad you liked it::hugs: And a bunch of thanks for all of the wonderful reviews that I've been getting!**), KrazieShadowNinja(**Wow. I'm touched. Seriously, I feel really happy when I know that someone thinks highly of my fic & likes it that much. Thanks for the support::hugs:**) and thanks to anyone else that I forgot!**

**Btw, I know this is getting kind of long, can you guys check out my other fic Without You? It's a ficlet that's about Sands and why he is way he is & I'm posting the 2nd chapter today. Thanx for the support that I've been getting for this story and don't forget to tell me what you think! **


	7. Chapter 7

**Scratched Glass**

_Chapter 7_

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pirates of the Caribbean. Otherwise I would've replaced Vanessa Paradis a looooooong time ago. Lol, j/k! Hope you guys like this chapter!**

Karyane was sitting in Jack's spacious quarters, thinking about what next to write in her letter to Thomas, when she jumped at a knock on the door. Almost falling over in the wooden chair, she reached out wildly for the edge of the desk. The person knocked more insistently and Karyane, catching her breath, spoke, "Enter."

In came a disoriented Jack grumbling about women, doors, and manners, his sentences incomplete and his words incoherently strung together with a colorful choice of words. He plopped down on the bed and just stared into Karyane's eyes, who was turned around in her seat and watching him as well. Taken aback, she decided to face the _desk_ instead of Jack, and went back to thinking about what to write.

"What do you have so far?" Jack asked, his voice drifting lazily.

"I'm just… I'm just…" Karyane stuttered.

"Compliment him first. Don't even mention the meeting until you've told him about how wonderful you think he is," Jack advised as he threw himself onto the soft bed and into a laying position.

"Oh," was all that Karyane said, a dejected look on her face. Crumpling the parchment in front of her, she tried being optimistic, even though she was well aware of the fact that she had spent a near hour on the letter.

Taking another long piece of parchment, she dipped her quill in the bottle of ink and wrote _Dear Thomas,_

**/Jack's P.O.V./**

I lay down on the soft bed and heard her quill start scratching words across the paper in black ink. At first, I wasn't even aware of _it _and just lay peacefully on the bed. But then I noticed _it. _The noise of the quill. That bloody…what was the girl's name again? Oh well, I'd just call her girl for now. That bloody girl sure was making a heck of a lot of noise with that quill. Bloody girl whose name I don't know. Bloody quill. Bloody letter. Bloody Greeneley. Bloody everything.

But pretty soon, even thinking about random things that irritated me, like quills and Greeneley, wasn't enough to block out the scritch-scratch noise. And that's what the damned quill did too.

_Scritch, scratch._

_Scritch, scratch._

_Scritch, scratch._

_Scritch, scratch._

_Scritch, scratch._

I think I'm going to go insane!

Getting up rather difficulty, I headed over to the girl to ask her to stop. "Can you…" but I didn't even get to finish my sentence. That pathetic stick of a human toppled over, chair, letter, quill, and all. So much for the noise.

I peered down at her groaning figure, just watching her for a minute or two. Then I realized that she probably expected me to help her up, so I offered her my hand. This time, unlike the one where she was dangling from a piece of rope off of my ship, she takes my hand. All right, all right, you might argue that she's reluctant about it and still flinches, but not everyone's perfect, right? Only charming men like myself are close. I smile at the thought.

Suddenly, I feel like grinning. Yes, I am charming. And suddenly, I feel much better. "Here, let me help you with the letter," I tell her and snatch it from her hand before she can respond. Just because I'm charming doesn't necessarily mean that I have to be nice all the time.

_Dear Thomas,_

_How are you? I miss you so very much and long to return to you. Often, I cannot sleep at night due to my loneliness. I wish you were here with me. It is at times like these that I truly appreciate a wise and wonderful man like yourself. You are so noble and dignified, always caring. And how can any girl not fall at your feet, when you are so much like a deity. Thomas, my heart aches for you and I wish, even as I write this letter in my cramped cell, that I were in your strong loving arms. Then I would be safe with a dashing knight and you would whisk me away to a castle in the clouds where we would marry and live happily. I find myself wishing every night that I could lay beside someone as handsome as yourself. But no, a girl as ugly and repugnant as myself can only wish for such things. They might never come true._

_But I must hurry, since this candle will soon die out. I beg of your help. These dreadful pirates are holding me hostage, as I'm sure is obvious, and have offered me a deal for my safety. I am to meet you at my father's mansion, in Haiti, not Port Royal. There, they want information out of you. What, I do not know. But they want something and they are threatening to kill me, my love. _

_I hope that I have not made myself a burden upon your shoulders, but I only assume that a man of your graciousness would spare a poor girl's life. That is why I grovel at your feet for aid. And if you are as kind as I think of you, we shall meet in the backyard at my father's mansion in Haiti. And I must warn you not to alert anyone of this meeting or else my throat will be slit immediately. Hopefully, I can depend on your sturdy shoulder and this meeting will be held without bloodshed._

_With much love,_

_Karyane_

I look up from the letter into her smiling, expectant face. _She looks like a flower when she smiles, _I think. Yes, a blooming flower that can easily snare any passerby. Shaking my head, I realize, _even me._

"Is Thomas a piece of bread?" I ask lightly, handing her back the letter.

"No. Why?" she asks, a thoughtful and yet confused look appearing on her face.

"I said to compliment him, not butter him. And since you were buttering him, I wondered if he was human or a loaf of bread," I joke, chuckling to myself at my ingenuity. And to my surprise, she laughs. Not a soft and timid laugh or a laugh that she's trying to hide. No, she laughs a bold laugh, confident and sure that she wants to laugh._ Hmm, that's odd. I always assumed that a girl of her…what's the word? Sta…sta…status! Yes, that's the word. Status. Who cares if it took me some time to remember it. Just because I'm attractive, doesn't mean that I have to **always **think of big words. _

_Where was I? The girl. Or Karyane. At least that's what it says on the paper. Anyway, I assumed that a girl of Karyane's status wouldn't laugh like that. She'd be haughty about it, not open. But alas, women are a fickle thing._

_What does fickle mean again? Argh, I keep forgetting. _

I watch her as she bends over the letter and starts scritch-scratching away again. Her long black strands fall over her shoulders carelessly, like a ink-colored curtain. A few strands make their way in front of her face and she pushes them back idly. _She looks like a goddess when she does that._

_Wait. What? A GODESS! I DON'T THINK SHE'S A GODDESS! I must be insane! I must…blimey, I musta've drank too much rum. Yeah, that's it. _I laugh at myself. Karyane, a godess? Now that was a funny joke.

_**But she is pretty.**_

_All right then, pretty. But not a goddess. _Slowly, I realize that I'm staring at her and shake my head. "When you're done with that letter, tell me and I'll send it off," I tell her and turn to leave, looking back only once to see that she's watching me hopefully. Yes, I do think that that look is hopeful. I decide to give her an assuring smile before I close the door behind me. _Wouldn't want that girl crying at night just because someone handsome like me didn't smile at her._

II—II—II

Thomas had prepared everything for his journey out to sea. Clothing, medicines, the actual ship _The Discovery_, a crew nearing fifty, and experienced doctors, chefs, builders, and anyone else that he could think of. There were already five other ships looking for Karyane. And Zenakabee too; he almost forgot her.

But nevertheless, _he_ wanted to go out searching for Karyane. Not only would it ease his own conscience, but he would feel like he was actually doing something. And in his mind, anything was better than sitting around like a useless duck.

_All there is to it now is for me to set sail tomorrow morning, _Thomas thought peacefully as he lay down on the comforting bed and pulled the warm blankets over him. But his peace didn't last very long, for someone started knocking at his door.

Caught off guard and flustered, Thomas fumbled about with lighting the candle on his bedside table and asked who it was. To his surprise, Edward Reule was still up at this hour and roaming the halls. Apparently, Edward had decided to drop by for a quick word since he had assumed that Thomas was still awake.

"Thomas, I've come to talk to you about this…this journey of yours," Edward began as he sat down on a nearby chair and faced Thomas. His face was hard set, his jaws held together in a firm stance, and his usually dull eyes looked ready to pounce on anyone if aggravated. The kidnapping of his two beloved daughters had worried him to no end and turned him into a living electric wire. Lately, he had been snapping at practically everyone, had gotten very little sleep, and was found pacing up and down rooms most of the time. All in all, without his two daughters, Edward was hardly recognizable. And the bags under his eyes and unshaved look did nothing to enhance his features.

"I have just received a note from Mr. Augustus Benoit, one of the men that you settled your previous deal with," here Edward paused and arched his browns at Thomas, silently asking him if he remembered the man. Thomas nodded, it was because of Mr. Benoit and his friends that the ball was held. The ball where Karyane had told him of a pirate. The ball where Karyane disappeared.

"Now Thomas, I don't want you arguing with me. Mr. Benoit needs to see you. It's about putting the deal into action. Not only that, but he wishes to put forth another deal. He will be coming to Haiti in two days time and will stay here for a few weeks. And I want you to stay in Haiti with me and Mr. Benoit and take care of business."

Thomas could feel anger bubbling just below his skin. It was as if thought his whole body had just been lit and the flames were steadily creeping in every direction, consuming him. Here, this man's only children were in grave danger and he was worrying about a deal? What was wrong with him? Was he even _human?_

"Sir, I refuse to…" but he was cut off by an Edward that looked just as infuriated as Thomas felt.

"No Thomas. I can't let you carry on with this stupidity. _Five_ other ships are out looking for them. I understand that you care about Karyane a lot. But maybe a little too much. _Don't _think that I'm not sick with worry, but you, you are being ridiculous. Even I, their father, feel confident that with five of the best ships probably created are out searching the entire Caribbean for two very conspicuous girls. Thomas, think of the benefits that all of us will reap from another successful sugarcane deal. It is our staple crop and yet you're willing to throw away those riches for an altogether unnecessary voyage.

_So it's the money then? How low…_

"No, I simply cannot…" Thomas began, his mind set on refusing any sort of offer.

"Thomas, I have been extremely hospitable," Edward cut in, a crazed look in his eye. "I have given you advice, been a father in many instances and still you deem a voyage more important than I. Thomas, I do not wish to believe so, but it looks that way. And do remember that Karyane is my daughter. If you wish to carry on any sort of relationship with her, then _I _must deem _you _important enough." Thomas's mouth hung open, his ears unwilling to believe the words that he had just heard.

"Greeneley, my good boy, have you ever wondered why Karyane…" Edward pretended to think of a suitable word, even though he knew one. He was only toying with Thomas's emotions. "…despises you so? And I'm afraid to say that you have not yet realized that my Karyane is a worldly girl. She expects a large plantation, a luxurious house, beautiful dresses, and utter devotion at the very least. As of current, you can _only _devote yourself to my daughter. And in _my _daughter's eyes," Edward emphasized the word 'my'. "That is simply not enough."

"Now think," there was a gleam in Edward's eyes, satisfied with the effect that his words had on Thomas, "of how much more willing and caring Karyane will become once she is positive that you can provide her with such worldly possessions."

The gears in Thomas's mind started working furiously, thinking back to every meeting he had had with Karyane. Was she really like that? No…it couldn't be possible…

But then again…

_**/Flashback/**_

"**Mr. Greeneley, you are a very charming man, but I…I simply cannot accept your proposal," Karyane said, her brilliant green eyes unblinking.**

"**Yes, Mr. Greeneley, I am _sure_ that you are a very successful man." She was being sarcastic; it was plain as the nose on her face. She had put it nicely, but altogether, she thought that he was nothing.**

**Thomas listened in on the conversation as he passed by Adelaide Reule's room. Hearing Karyane's voice, he stopped by the end of the door so that neither mother nor daughter would see him.**

"**But mother, you don't really expect me to court such a…such a…," Karyane stuttered, anger obvious in her voice. If only he could see her. Adelaide was in his plain sight, but he couldn't see Karyane or her face.\**

"**Karyane, what is wrong with him!" Adelaide shouted, turning about from her work so fast that her skirts were a blur of white. "You are constantly complaining about why you don't want a marriage with him and yet you give me no viable reason!"**

**He could tell that Karyane was glaring at her mother and by the sound of her voice, her teeth were clenched tightly, "He's poor." A knife tore through Thomas's heart at the words. "He's worthless. And he means nothing to me mother. You've never once considered what would happen to me if I were to marry him. I would fall into despair." Another knife cut through his heart, this time blood slowly dripping downward.**

"**I'd rather die than marry him." The words ripped his heart out, threw it viciously on the floor, and gleefully stomped on the now pitiful organ. **

**Adelaide looked as if though she had been slapped for a mistake that _she _had committed. In Thomas's head, the words rang out, _She agrees with Karyane. They think I'm worthless._**

"**He…he's young and striving. Soon, he will…soon...he will…he _will_ be successful. Karyane, I," but Adelaide was interrupted mid-sentence.**

**She hissed, "Don't lie. Don't you dare lie to me. You and I both know of his social status. He's absolutely _nothing._" That was all that Thomas could bear to hear; with every word, he felt his heart being killed once more. He hurried to the library, feeling as if though a purse filled with heavy bricks had just made contact with every inch of his body.**

_**/Flashback/**_

So that was it. That was why she didn't like him. Suddenly, he felt ill and yet as unbreakable as a piece of concrete. If Karyane saw a defect in him, then…then he would just have to fix it. Staring resolutely into Edward's eyes, Thomas spoke in a chilling voice that was so unlike the one that he had used just a minute ago. "I'll do it."

Edward nodded and got up, a smile overcoming his face as soon as he exited the room. _I knew he would agree._

_**/Zenakabee's P.O.V./**_

I hate her. I hate Karyane. I hate her guts. I hate her looks. I hate her ignorance. I hate her personality. I hate everything about her.

These thoughts can't help but replay themselves and occupy all of my time and energy. But alas, they are of no use when Karyane herself doesn't notice the rays of hatred that are constantly emanating from me. She steps into this damned tiny room, a small smile on her face, and an aura of happiness about her. She's been with that…what's his name? Bloody hell, this sea is really affecting me.

Jack! Yes, there we go. Jack. She's been with dear Jack again. You might ask how I know. Because of her smile; the certain smile that's plastered on her face every time she comes back. Karyane, as always is in a state of oblivious. Of course, _she _doesn't realize her feelings for him. And by the look on her face, trust me when I say that she has feelings for him.

But I have to admit, every time they're together, they look like a jovial pair. Karyane's always laughing, he's always smiling, she's leaning into him ever so slightly, he has a casual arm around either her shoulders and sometimes (as rare as it is) even around her waist, and her hair's whipping around them like silk, almost acting like a shield from the outside world. They look like two exotic birds, flying about on their grand wings. Personally, I don't really like this Jack character, but I can't deny that he has this sort of…sort of roguish charm about him. And that draws Karyane him. She's a wild spirit and so is he. Naturally, they're drawn to each other. But like I said, she doesn't realize it and neither does he.

At times like these, I wish I would just disappear. I can't help but envy her and yet at the same time I want what's best for her. Of course, a girl of my stature doesn't admit that to the step that she's supposedly hated all her life. But I know, that Karyane is better off with Jack. Better off with him than with anyone else. Better off with him than even Thomas. If only fate wasn't so cruel. She's a civilized, city-dwelling girl and he's…he's a pirate. That' all that can be said.

She's falling for him, I know it. And she's falling hard.

**A/n: Thanx to: Dawnie-7, ****butterscotchwarrior, KrazieShadowNinja, and CaptainCrimson for the wonderful reviews!**

**Be sure to tell me what you think cuz without you guys I'd be utterly and totally lost.  **


	8. Chapter 8

**Scratched Glass**

_Chapter 8_

Karyane smiled, trying to hide a laugh, as she heard another one of Jack's infamous, and overly-dramatic, tales. Jack looked at her seriously for a moment, having noticed that she was fingering the edge of laughing hysterically. Trying her best, she covered the smile with her long, thin, spider-like fingers but failed horribly. Soon, she burst out laughing and within a minute or so, she was clutching her stomach, her lungs begging for air, and her mind willing her to stop.

"I don't know what you think is so funny," Jack mumbled grumpily, taking a rather large swig of rum and muttering a few choice words afterward.

"Language, Jack, language. In case you've forgotten, I'm a lady, and cursing isn't appropriate in the presence of a lady," Karyane scolded mockingly, waving an admonitory finger at him.

"Actually, I have forgotten what with your lack of…" he started, a suggestive smirk on his face.

"Don't you dare finish that sentence, you bloody rat!" Karyane shrieked indignantly, blushing with embarrassment, hitting Jack with her balled up fists. In turn, he covered his head and took a few steps backward from her; this only resolved her to step forward and attack him even more fiercely. "Take it back!" she yelled, a smile forming on her face, despite the fact that she was _supposed_ to be angry with him.

"All right, all right, bloody hell! I take it back!" he finally cried out, deciding that he'd rather not feel Karyane's entire wrath. Glaring at her, his eyes squeezed themselves into thin slits, morphing his features into that of a snake's. Karyane only laughed, once again trying to stop.

"I see this is going nowhere," he relinquished, turning his back to her and his attention to steering the ship.

"I want to know something," Karyane said abruptly, her voice appearing out of the blue after a long pause of silence. Jack only grunted in reply, drinking some more rum. "Who…who is this friend of yours? And why is he so important?"

For a long time, Jack didn't say anything. He merely held onto the helm, staring out at the sea, drinking from his bottle of alcohol every so often. But after a while, he turned his head to her, and looked at her intently. "Why?" was all he asked.

Taken aback by the question and the closeness between her and Jack's face, Karyane stuttered. "I…I…I don't know."

Another long pause. The third one so far. And this was the most awkward of them all. "Will Turner. He was married to Elizabeth Swann and they had four children together. Four beautiful children. He was a blacksmith, used to be one before he became a merchant. A very successful one. A good, honest man. Hard to come across men like those nowadays. Will, he was different. A well brought up civilized man and yet a pirate, wild at heart. You could always sit down with him and a jug of rum and he'd help you out with any problem, any problem at all. Even if he was busy with some meeting, all I'd have to do was let him know that I was in town and he'd hurry over. No matter what, he was always there. And now…" Jack's speech stopped. Karyane noticed that there were no tears in his eyes, but that he was suddenly so stiff. So rigid, as if though there was a huge void in his being. And for some reason, she felt his pain. She felt the harshness, the cruelty of his pain.

Suddenly, she enveloped him in a hug. Out of nowhere, just like her questions, she hugged him tightly and hid her face between his neck and shoulder. "I'm sorry," she apologized.

II – II – II

Karyane sat down on the enormous bed in Jack's quarters amidst all of the dresses that she had just bought. Or rather, the dresses that Jack had just bought. A smile flitted across her face as she touched the material that surrounded her like a never-ending sea. She smiled contentedly, feeling at home. Whether it was because of the tenderly made and yet frivolous dresses that were now in her possession, or that fact that she had merely grown accustomed to the ship, she felt at home.

And in the back of her mind, she knew that the latter was the reason for the comfortable feeling that had decided that it wanted to settle itself in Karyane's stomach. Personally, the thought scared her. She didn't mind Jack's annoying half-smile anymore, she didn't mind the constant rocking of the ship – that previously had provoked nearly all of the contents of her stomach out – she didn't mind Gibbs yelling order at the top of his lung, she didn't mind the vulgar language that was used, and she didn't mind Jack's presence. In fact, she really didn't mind anything that much any longer. And all of this was beginning to really, _really_ bother her.

Sighing, she got up off the bright beautiful dresses that she had been sitting on and went over to sit on Jack's desk. Pulling out a clean parchment from Jack's stack of papers, she set it in front of her. To write or not to write?

Write.

Grabbing a bottle of ink, she unscrewed the top and dipped a long feathery quill into it. _Dear _and then she stopped. Who was she going to write to? Frustrated, she put the quill back in the bottle of ink and held her chin in her hands, her elbows propped up on the desk. She had already written to Thomas and she didn't want to force herself to do that all over again. Her father? Knowing him, he had probably already sent out a handful of excellent ships to find her and her sister. Half-sister. The person left was Adelaide, her dearest mother.

_Dear Adelaide _

She crossed out the greeting. It was too forward.

_Dear Mother_

She crossed these words out as well and wrote them again.

_Dear Mother_

Did she really have to write to her? She scratched it out. Then wrote it again.

_Dear Mother_

Did she? Yes.

_Dear Mother_

Never mind, no. This process went back and forth where she wrote '_Dear Mother'_ and then scratched it out within a moment's notice, until she had filled up the entire parchment. She just couldn't bring herself to write to her mother.

As Karyane thought back to her mother, frustration still engulfing her like a thick, palpable fog, she noted that it was no wonder _why_ she couldn't write.

_**/Flashback/**_

"_Mother, who is he?" Karyane whispered, tugging gently at the hem of her mother's dress. Her enormous, green orbs stared at the man in front of her. He was tall, well built, and she could tell that he had a large sum of money. The man, seemingly kind, smiled and bent down to pinch her cheek. She tried her best not to flinch and succeeded, though with much difficulty. Later, she found out with a slap to her smarting cheek, that he was to be her father. Not only that, but that she was never to interrupt her mother again while she was meeting someone important._

"_Karyane, I don't wish for you to mingle with that… that Zenakabee," Adelaide told her as they were sitting in the living room for tea, waving her hand as if she was dismissing the actual Zenakabee. It was just Karyane and her mother – the maids were upstairs – since her father, Edward, and Zenakabee had left to attend some conference or another._

"_Why not?" the ten-year old Karyane asked. Her mother had been married to Edward for two years, but Karyane had only been living with her father and mother for a month. Before, she was living in her grandmere, Elice's, manor in France. "She is my sister, after all."_

"_Step sister," Adelaide corrected sharply. "And she isn't good for your health. You've been…"_

"_What?" Karyane asked softly, confusion overcoming her._

"_You've been around her too long. Your dresses have been getting dirtier and dirtier by the day…"_

"_It was only a smudge," Karyane said in a small voice._

"_Do not interrupt me. I am your elder. Not only has your clothing become an issue, but so has your behavior, it is unacceptable. The other day you were laughing all too rudely in front of the governor. You have no idea of how embarrassed I was because of you. No child of mine will carry herself like that in public. Altogether, I wish for you to stop interacting with riffraff like that girl," her mother ordered in a strict, formal tone, allowing no opposition to come from Karyane._

"_Yes mother," was all poor Karyane could say. She wanted so desperately to become Zenakabee's friend, even though it was clear that Zenakabee didn't like Karyane. And yet, her mother's wishes were to be Karyane's priority. She had no choice but to quietly accept her fate._

'_Karyane did it!" Zenakabee shouted, pointing an accusing finger at her twelve-year old step sister._

"_No I didn't," Karyane outright lied. It was obvious that she was the one who had broken the vase, but for the sake of arguing, she lied anyway. Her father, Edward, looked at her sternly and was about to scold her when Adelaide interrupted._

"_Why must you blame my poor daughter when it is obvious that she is innocent!" Adelaide exploded as she went into lecture mode, yelling at father and daughter for blaming her supposedly innocent child. Soon, Karyane started to feel bad. After all, she was the one who had broken the vase and Zenakabee was getting yelled at._

"_But mother…"_

"_Karyane, please refrain from interrupting me," her mother said in a sharp tone. Once again, Karyane could do nothing but look at the floor pathetically. Eventually, Zenakabee received her punishment: no dinner for the night and no dessert for the entire week._

"_Mr. Greeneley, you are a very charming man, but I…I simply cannot accept your proposal," Karyane said, her brilliant green eyes unblinking. He had proposed. She, at the time, had been talking merrily to one of her friends when he had pulled her aside. Suddenly, and out of nowhere, he had asked her to marry him. Caught off guard, she didn't know how to tell him no. she didn't want to reject him, but…_

"_Karyane, I wish for you to marry Thomas," Adelaide said softly, holding her eighteen-year old daughter's miniscule hand in her own. Despite her close proximity with Karyane, Adelaide didn't notice the involuntary shudder that coursed through her daughter's body. Just the mention of Thomas sent waves of repulsion through Karyane._

"_Mother, I…" Karyane started but her sentence was intercepted halfway._

"_Please, consider it at the very least. Please, for Thomas's sake."_

"_Mother…"_

"_For my sake then." The request succeeded in silencing Karyane._

"_But mother, you don't really expect me to court such a…such a…" Karyane stuttered, anger obvious in her voice. Her mother had already brought this subject up numerous times over the past year. Now nineteen, Karyane was not just unwilling but outright defiant when it came to the matter of marriage with Thomas. _

"_Karyane, what is wrong with him?" Adelaide shouted, turning about from her work so fast that her skirts were a blur of colors. "You are constantly complaining about why you don't want a marriage with him and yet you give me no viable reason!" Anger flooded Karyane's veins and blocked out any reason. _

_Karyane glared at her mother, unable to think of a reason for a second. In that time, an idea struck her. It was low, but it was the only way out of a forced marriage to a man that she not only didn't know, but despised. Clenching her teeth, she spat out, "He's poor." _

_Adelaide looked as if though she had been slapped for a mistake that **she**__had committed. Karyane knew that in the back of her mother's mind, the same thought had been replaying itself. _

"_He's…he's a young and striving man. Soon, he will…soon…he will…he **will** be successful. Karyane, I," But Adelaide was interrupted mid-sentence._

_Karyane's eyes narrowed and she hissed viciously, "Don't lie. You and I both know of his social status." A knife ripped through her own heart as she said it. She couldn't believe that she could be so cruel. But marriage? No, she couldn't marry him. No. No. No. She was a free bird and marrying him was like…it was like forcing that bird, she, into enclosure. She didn't want it. She wouldn't have it. But if being cruel was the only way out, then so be it._

_+  
_

"_Be careful," Adelaide said, tears in her eyes. _

"_I will," Karyane consoled her crying mother as she was about to set off for Haiti in the ship. _

"_Promise me."_

"_I promise," Karyane smiled ironically. This was the same mother who, just the other day, had been yelling at her to marry Thomas._

"_Karyane…I want you to know that I love you. Yes, I might yell and scream…"_

"_And throw things, force me to comply with your wishes, and be irrational," Karyane added jokingly. This earned her a reproving glare from her mother._

"_What I meant to say is that I love you. I might be…"_

"_Cruel and unreasonable but…" Karyane went ahead, knowing that her mother would scold her sooner or later._

"_**But**," Adelaide said, emphasizing her word, "But I love you. I just want you to know that."_

"_I know. And I love you too." Karyane said, her green eyes softening reasonably at the words. No matter how silly and crazy and unpredictable and tense and moody her mother might be, she was her mother after all._

_**/Flashback/**_

Shaking her head at the varied memories of her mother, Karyane screwed the lid back on the bottle of ink and put back the things that she had taken out. Maybe it would be better if she didn't write.

II – II – II

Thomas sat in Mr. Reule's study in their Haiti manor. Looking over the letter in his hand, he decided that it was a wonderful thing that he hadn't left looking for Karyane. Otherwise he wouldn't have received the letter. Otherwise he wouldn't have known that she was coming. Otherwise he wouldn't have known how highly she thought of him. Thank God he hadn't left. Folding the sheaf of parchment, he placed it inside his coat pocket and came to another decision: he would comply with her request and not tell anyone of her arrival.

II – II – II

It was another hot and sticky day in the Caribbean Sea. Standing out on deck next to Jack, Karyane could feel the salty water sticking to her already sun kissed face. Before she had stepped aboard the Pearl, she was a pale, ghostly white creature and now she had colored considerably. She still had a fair complexion, except now her skin glowed with health and she had started eating regularly. Not only did she notice it, but so did Zenakabee, the crew, and Jack. It came in the form of a hidden smile that – before, would rarely ever grace her features – came across her face all too often.

Jack, noticing this, told her so, "You look so much better now. Before you looked like a ghost of a stick."

"Excuse me?" she asked, surprised by his sudden conversation – they had both entered into a period of silence before.

"You look better now."

"I beg to differ."

"Go ahead and beg as much as you like girly. I still think you look better now," Jack told her, a smirk playing with his features. In turn, she narrowed her eyes at him.

"As much as your antics might amuse you, I find them to be quite dull," Karyane told him with fake haughtiness. She rolled her eyes at him, hiding a smile that wanted nothing better than to make an appearance.

"Go ahead and be all proper if ye want," he told her, rolling his eyes at her as well, turning his attention back to yelling orders at his men.

"I don't get why we're wandering aimlessly," Karyane said in a bored voice, realizing that they were just walking from one place on the ship to another.

"I don't know about you, but I want to keep this ship running. And if I want that, then I'd better tell these, otherwise unskilled, men what to do," Jack told her sharply, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"But why do we have to walk?" Karyane whined like a child.

"Because they can't hear me if I stand in one place, you dolt," he told her agitatedly, his temper frothing at the surface.

"All right, all right; no need to get so nasty about it."

They walked around in silence as Jack shouted various orders. Karyane found it all very boring. Pretty soon, she started pinching her cheeks, checking for fat. Noticing her weird actions, Jack looked at her oddly from the corner of his eye. "What're you doing?" he asked wearily.

"Checking for fat," she told him, looking at him cross-eyed as Karyane tried to keep one eye on her cheek and the other on Jack. The task was impossible.

"Why're you doing that? It's not like you're fat or anything."

"Chubby," Karyane argued, going back to pinching her cheeks.

"No you're not."

"Yes I am."

"No you're not."

"Yes I am.

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes.

"NO."

"YES."

"NO."

"YES."

"NO!"

"YES!"

"All right, bloody hell! You're fat if it makes you happy," Jack cried out in exasperation. For a second, Karyane merely stood there, realizing that Jack had been complimenting her beforehand; now it was an insult. Huffing indignantly, she crossed her arms in front of her chest and walked off to the railing, knowing that arguing with Jack again would only disprove her first argument. And what would that prove? That she really was a dolt.

She sighed, remembering the romance stories that her maid, Norse, would tell her in secret. She wondered what it was like to be one of those, witty, carefree, independent girls. They were always prepared with some clever remark, always so beautiful, always so much better than her. Always so much more like Zenakabee. Sure, her step-sister wasn't blessed with the looks of a goddess, but it wasn't as if she was ugly either. She, too, had had a fair number of suitors, each of which she refused.

_Why couldn't I have an education? _

_Why couldn't I climb that tree when we were little?_

_Why did I always have to sit down for tea while she got to go play outside? _

_Why did my parents think the piano, sewing, and my looks were more important than history or some foreign language?_

_Why didn't I have a mother that loved me as much as Zenakabee's did?_

_Why was I always angry with everything while she always seemed so happy? _

_Why was I supposed to be perfect in everything that didn't matter, while she was supposed to focus on every vital thing to life?_

_Why couldn't I be a little more like Zenakabee, a little more lively, a little less dull, a little more independent, a little smarter, a little more **real**?_

And so these thoughts plagued Karyane's mind as she realized that she might have inherited the looks in the family, but she was also the one void of everything else that was so much more important to life.

II – II – II

"Jack! We can't make it through this storm! Let's stop somewhere, ye bloody stubborn dog!" Gibbs yelled through the rain. Sheets upon sheets of incessant rain were falling on the _Pearl_ as she was caught in an unexpected storm.

"Gibbs, we're going to run out of time! We need to get to Greeneley…"Jack began but was shortly cut off by a livid Anamaria.

"Forget the bloody rascal! We're running out of supplies and the Pearl has already withstood three other storms in such a short time!" she shouted, doing her best to make her voice be heard.

"Exactly. One more storm won't do…"but once again he was cut off.

"Jack! Stop being unreasonable! We'll only stop for a week or two!" Anamaria shouted back, hoping to coax Jack into reasoning with her. But Jack merely stared out at the raging sea before him, his eyes focusing strictly ahead of him and ignoring his angry crew members.

"Come on, Jack! We could all use the bloody rest!" Gibbs added in his superfluous comment, hoping that it would work, not daring to doubt it. Jack looked at him out of the corner of his eye for a second and in that second, Gibbs's own eyes pleaded with Jack's.

"Fine! We'll make berth in Tortuga, since it's the closest island! But one of you two will have to steer!" Jack finally relented, realizing that the chances of them making it out alive of this storm were slim to none. At their captain's agreement, identical grins spread across Anamaria and Gibbs's faces. The prospect of a week's rest was like a pot of gold waiting for them at the end of all this turmoil.

II – II – II

As he stepped into his quarters, soaking wet, Jack grumbled about 'bloody lazy pirates' and how they were 'slowing down the whole damn procedure'. Sitting down on the chair next to his desk, he grumpily took off his boots and did his best to rid them of rainwater. It was then that he noticed a sheaf of parchment that was held down by a stack of books. Looking closely at the paper, he realized that the tiny, perfect letters formed a message for him.

_She's sick and was vomiting. I couldn't keep her with me, her fever would've gotten worse. Sorry for the inconvenience._

_-Zenakabee_

Jack looked over to his spacious bed and saw that the lump huddled under his downy comforted was the 'she' that Zenakabee was pertaining to. He got up to change into different clothes – preferably dry ones – all the while shaking his head at Karyane's sleeping form.

Climbing into bed and easing under the comforter, Jack groaned slightly as his back protested from all of the pain it had endured that day. Sitting up so as to fluff his pillow a bit, Jack looked down at Karyane's now visible face.

Her cheeks had flushed crimson, her usually straight, immaculate hair now clung to her face – tangled and knotted – and her chest rose up and down quickly. Touching a hand to her forehead, Jack wasn't surprised to find that she was burning.

Karyane's eyelids slowly fluttered open, sleep fogging her green eyes as she gingerly touched the threshold of consciousness. "Jack?" she asked in a soft whisper.

"Sssh, go back to sleep, love."

"But…" she protested.

"Sleep, love, sleep. You need it," Jack told her soothingly, as his hand caressed her burning cheek gently. She shuddered slightly under his cold hand – the contrast between his near frozen hand and her burning cheek was great – and rolled over to one side.

"All right, Jack. Good night," was all that she could manage before she fell back into the alluring arms of slumber.

Waiting until he was sure that she was asleep, he murmured softly into her tangled strands of ebony hair, "Good night."

**A/N: Sry for the long wait guys, but school was so hectic! Thnk God finals are over and that Winter Break is here, so I'll be able to update this fic often (every other day, hopefully). Thnx again to everyone who's reviewed! It's you guys that keep me going!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Scratched Glass**

_Chapter 9_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pirates of the Caribbean! It all belongs to Disney, I swear! Even Jack:sniffles dejectedly:**

**A/N: Sry for the small delay but I was helping my parents look around for stuff since my dad's going overseas this Monday. Anywho, here' the chapter. Hope you guys enjoy it!**

The crew rushed hurriedly past the worn cobblestone streets as the heavens let free their rainfall. They had barely managed to land the Pearl safely in an average sized cove. There were many shouts as they hurried to a nearby inn, desperate to find shelter from the cruel downpour.

Jack swung the wooden door open and everyone tried their best to get in, with the unlucky ones having to wait outside with the rain and their disconsolate, grim expressions for company. A lull fell over the once noisy inn and everyone turned to stare at the newcomers. Jack was the first to speak.

"We just landed here to save our ship from the storm and need a place to stay."

A thin, young man who was standing behind the counter whilst swiping a glass mug clean with an old rag, inquired, "And who would you be?"

"Jack Sparrow, Captain of the Black Pearl." A soft murmur spread amongst the people as they received the piece of information. The Black Pearl? The almighty ship and its captain? Here? Impossible. "And this is my crew," Jack finished, a certain air of pride emanating from him as he relished in the hushed voices that were obviously discussing his ship.

"You can stay here, but we don't have enough rooms for all of you," the young man, apparently the owner of the tavern, said with a solemn expression etched into his features. At his words, discontent rang amongst the pirates that were waiting outside.

"Shut up, ye scallywags," Jack growled menacingly and they reluctantly obeyed. "You're bound to find places and can find rooms elsewhere. How many rooms do you have?" the last question was directed at the bartender, and apparent manager.

"Four," was the reply. "Each with two beds."

"All right then, Alina and Eleonora can share a room," Jack said, using Karyane, Alina, and Zenakabee's, Eleonora, fake names. The entire crew, including their 'captives', had agreed to say, if asked, that the two girls had come to the crew of the infamous Pearl for help. Their brother, Thomas Palmer, had been kidnapped by pirates and they had paid the pirates of the legendary Pearl a large amount to assist them in finding their brother. "Me, Anamaria, and Gibbs can share another."

Here, the ostentatious Zenakabee (not to mention condescending) whispered to Karyane, "Anamaria, Gibbs, and I. And I." A small smile appeared on Karyane's face as she remembered Zenakabee's ability to catch even the slightest grammar mistake in someone's speech. After all, she, Karyane, had been that someone for the past…what? Twelve years? Yes, she had been eight when she was _officially_ Zenakabee's step sister.

"And you six can share the other two rooms," Jack ordered, pointing to six different crew members, leaving the remaining fifteen or so pirates to find rooms on their own.

II – II – II

"This is…" Zenakabee looked around their room, her eyes roaming the lengths of the walls, floor, ceiling – heck, every inch of the room.

"Nice?" Karyane offered. It was true. The two neatly made beds with their snow white sheets and sturdy wooden headboards, the clean windowpanes looking out onto the wet streets of the city, the coaxing fire that emitted the occasional crackle as firewood burned – releasing warm – and the single crimson colored couch with its miniature black pillows.

"Yes. Nice seems to be fitting," Zenakabee agreed, turning around to smile at her sister, her first smile in a very, _very_ long time. Karyane returned the smile, which in turn provoked a girlish giggle from Zenakabee as she twirled around in her tattered silk gown. Grinning like an ecstatic child on Christmas Day, she fell back onto the couch, the fluffy black pillows cushioning her fall.

"You're probably used to this, true?" Zenakabee asked after awhile, her eyes turning to Karyane's face. Karyane, however, was quiet. At her silence, Zenakabee added in with a longing sigh, "You're so lucky. You're practically perfect and have everything at your feet."

"Notice the practically, Zenakabee," Karyane replied in a soft, pensive voice.

"Oh, it's not like either of us cares about the proprieties of language," but she was cut off.

"You're the one that's always correcting my grammar," Karyane retorted, anger slowly edging itself into her voice.

"Yes, but that…"Zenakabee started, but was interrupted once more. This time by a furious Karyane.

"Yes, but what? What, huh? I'm not perfect! Bloody hell, look at me, Zenakabee! Tell me one thing that's so great about me! Tell me!" Karyane exploded, tears springing to her eyes. Slowly, the tears that Karyane once barred from leaving her eyes now fell freely in front of an audience – Zenakabee.

At first, Zenakabee was confused by her sister's outburst. _Who had said that she was….oh wait, my last statement_. But after the initial confusion had worn off, it was replaced by shock, for Karyane had never publicly denied being 'perfect'. At least, not for all the years that Zenakabee had known her. "Why deny it now?" Zenakabee asked her step, quirking a disbelieving eyebrow.

This caused Karyane to stutter and her eyes looked desperately from one object in the room to another, as if she was looking to these inanimate objects for the right answer. "Because," she finished lamely.

"Because what?"

"Because I'm not perfect! Can't you understand that!" and the tears began to flow once more.

"Yes, but why are you denying it now? Hmm?" Zenakabee asked, all too tired of what she presumed was her pompous sister. "Now that no one _important_ is here to witness the confession? Tell me, Karyane, were you not born perfect or are you not perfect while you're with society lower than the one that you're accustomed to?" she asked snidely, her words piercing her sister's heart like a knife. Slowly, the knife twisted itself. "Answer me, godamnit! Face it, you _are _perfect. You always have been and you always will be. You're so perfect that you're not even capable of emotions!"

"How can you say that?" Karyane hissed, her voice hoarse from her silent tears.

"Because only humans, flawed creatures, are capable of emotions. Not perfect gods like yourself." These words blew a fuse and suddenly, Karyane was no longer feeling melancholic, but full of rage.

"What the hell do you think I am? I'm human, for God's sake! Human!" and suddenly, she flung one of the pillows on her bed at the stationary Zenakabee - who happened to be sitting on the couch.

Blocking the pillow with her forearm, Zenakabee threw it aside. "Forgive me, but I doubt that. Do you remember that time when we were little, I was twelve and you were ten, and you're evil mother decided to humiliate me in front of all of my friends? Where were your human instincts then? And what about the time that Charles asked me to marry him? You're mother wrenched my heart from me by telling me that I couldn't marry the man that I had loved! Where were you're godforsaken emotions, you're bloody flaws then, Karyane!" Zenakabee had gotten up as well and as she continued to talk, Karyane was forced to remember the times that Zenakabee was talking about.

_**/Flashback/**_

"_Karyane, do you think I could borrow that lilac gown that you wore the other day? It's absolutely beautiful," Zenakabee gushed, asking her sibling if she could borrow a certain awe-inspiring gown. Zenakabee, Karyane, and ten or so other girls of their status were all sitting on the plush couches of the Reule mansion. _

"_Of course you can. You'll probably look ten times better than me in that dress. You're so much prettier," Karyane said amiably. Or at least, that's what she would've said but she only got to 'of…' before she was interrupted by her mother._

"_Zenakabee, don't be foolish. You and wearing Karyane's dress?" came the condescending tone of Adelaide, as she walked down the spiral staircase. "You would hardly be able to fit into it, what with your…large figure let's just say. You'd break the seams, silly girl." It was untrue, Zenakabee was a slim young girl – maybe a little heavier than Karyane, but then again, who wasn't heavier than the stick of a girl – but Adelaide still said it. And with those few sentences, the wealthy lady crushed both Zenakabee's and her own daughter's hearts. Zenakabee, because she was utterly humiliated as she blushed crimson and a few of her 'acquaintances' tried stifling giggles. Karyane, because she knew that if she were to take Zenakabee's side, then she would be punished horribly with slaps marking every inch of her skin. On the other hand, if she were to take her mother's side, then Zenakabee would never forgive her. Either way, she would lose and as she quietly accepted her mother's words as her own, she severed whatever ties she had with her step-sister._

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

"_Mrs. Reule, I came to you to ask for your daughter's hand in marriage," Charles Witherstand asked. He was an amiable and prosperous young man with pale skin, rosy cheeks, blonde hair, and piercing blue eyes._

"_Karyane?" Adelaide asked, as her eyes glittered at the prospect of her beloved daughter marrying such an affluent young man. "Why…"_

_But she was cut off by Charles, who was embarrassed for not being specific enough. "No, I meant Zenakabee," he told her, as a loving expression came over his eyes at the mention of the girl that he was desperately falling for._

_Suddenly, Adelaide's face took on a cold countenance. "No. You certainly may not." All Charles was able to do was gape at her in disbelief as the woman in front of him crushed his precious dreams. "And don't even consider going to my husband. Make that mistake and I'll make the mistake of making your life a living hell. You may leave." All Charles could do was nod, head hung low. He cast one last glance at Zenakabee, who was hiding behind the slightly ajar door. The light in his eyes had been extinguished. As he witnessed the maiden that he wanted so desperately to be his own begin to cry, his heart was wrenched from him once more. He mouthed 'sorry' and left, feeling as low as the beggar who sat on the other end of the street, imploring the wealthy passerby for change._

_Karyane, unaware of what had just happened, stepped into the scene and noticed Zenakabee, sitting pathetically by the slightly open door, hunched over as sobs overwhelmed her already frail heart. A feeling of sorrow swept over her as she saw her crying step. Yes, Zenakabee despised her and constantly rejected Karyane's offers of friendship, but she still had a heart. She still felt and cared for her sister. Karyane rushed over and enveloped Zenakabee in a hug. But a minute later, Adelaide opened the door that the two sisters were leaning against and both fell to the floor, in front of their mother's feet. _

"_Karyane, please leave," she said in an unfeeling tone. "Zenakabee, get your pitiful form off of the floor."_

"_How could you?" Zenakabee cried out in a disbelieving, raspy voice. _

"_It's for your own good, Zenakabee. I'm your mother and I have decided that..." Adelaide began in the same cold, distant tone, unwilling to sympathize with the step-daughter that she loathed._

"_It's not for my own good! You just don't want me to be unhappy! Why do you hate me so much! Why did you do it!" Zenakabee shouted whilst her once cold exterior shattered. A ringing noise echoed throughout the halls and rooms of the rather quiet manor as Adelaide's hand met with Zenakabee's cheek._

"_Don't you dare use such dirty language under my roof, you pathetic creature!" she yelled, her bitter eyes glaring at Zenakabee. She hated the girl for her mere existence. And Zenakabee's existence made it that much more difficult for Karyane to find a suitable man. _

"_Mother!" Karyane shouted, her eyes widening as the scene unfolded before her. _

"_Don't you dare question my authority, Karyane. I'm warning you. One more toe out of line and I will make sure that your face meets the muddy cobblestones that the beggars in the street see everyday." Karyane glared heatedly at her mother and bit down on her tongue. Her mother had threatened to throw her out on the streets before. Adelaide had even gone as far as forcing Karyane to sleep outside in the freezing gusts of wind and rain for not obeying her; all to prove the credibility of her threat. _

"_Go up to your room this instant Karyane," Adelaide ordered, her tone of voice leaving no room for objections. _

"_Yes mother," Karyane nodded, her head hung as low as Charles's had when he exited the manor, trudging up the stairs and to her room. And once again, a dose of hatred was injected into Zenakabee's heart as she assumed that Karyane cared as little as Adelaide did for her, Zenakabee's, happiness._

_**/Flashback/**_

Feeling the onslaught of the painful memories, Karyane bit back angry tears. "You think I enjoyed that? You think I enjoyed watching you suffer?" she hissed, her voice low and raspy. Zenakabee merely stood there, a defiant expression on her face. "Is that why you always hated me? Always blamed me for what Adelaide did to you?"

"You always sided with her! Bloody hell, was there ever a time when you didn't pick her over me! Answer that, Karyane!" Zenakabee shouted, a few specks of spit flying out of her mouth in her anger.

"I never wanted to!" Karyane shouted, feeling more and more miserable as each word came spilling out of Zenakabee's mouth. Then, doing her best to control her anger, she spoke in a controlled voice, "I never wanted to. What do I have to do to make you understand? Every time I even said a word in your defense, I was punished. You might think that you're the one who was hurt, that you're the one who was treated unfairly, but I was hurt just as much as you were."

A single, short laugh came out of Zenakabee's mouth. "I refuse to believe that. I want proof."

Anger blazing inside of her once more, Karyane got up from her now sitting position on the bed and stalked up to her sister. "Proof, huh? You want proof? I'll show you proof!" And she yanked up the long cerulean colored sleeve of her current gown. "See these marks?" There were dull, barely visible circles on the underside of her arm. "Remember when you wanted that gown so desperately three months ago? Remember how Adelaide bought it for me instead?"

"So?" Zenakabee asked, although the vindictiveness that was in her voice before was not so confident now.

"So I fought to get you that dress! I fought with my own blood, my own mother to get you a godforsaken gown! I argued with her for days on end while you stayed with father and I was beaten. Just to get you that bloody dress! And when you got that gown, the only thing that probably crossed your mind was how you finally got something that I had wanted for once."

Zenakabee remained quiet.

"Not enough proof!" Karyane asked, her face still maintaining an enraged expression. Stumbling with the zipper at the back of her gown, she unzipped her dress to reveal her back. Her pale skin was littered with long red lines that looked as if though they were just beginning to heal. With her back still to Zenakabee, she forced her sister to touch the marks. "This is the beating that I got so that you could go to that stupid ball! You didn't know it, but Adelaide wasn't even going to let you go to that. She was going to give you extra work that day so that even if you were finished, you'd be too exhausted to go. I argued and argued and after I finally threatened to tell Edward everything, she agreed. But not before she ordered Norse to whip me." Slowly zipping up her dress again, she whipped around to face Zenakabee once more.

"Still not enough proof? Remember that night two years ago when you went to that ball with Charles? Remember!" she shouted.

"Yes," was Zenakabee's soft reply.

"Where was I!" Karyane demanded, fury still lining her voice.

"I…I don't know."

"Exactly, I wasn't there. I wasn't there! _I _was the one who struggled with Adelaide so you could go. And did I go to that ball! No! I was the one who suffered and was forced to sleep outside in the rain. I was the one who woke up the next morning, freezing, starving to death, soaked to the bone, and covered in mud. Why! Just so you could go to some godamned ball!" Breathing heavily, having said her words, Karyane stared at Zenakabee with angry eyes.

"Now do you understand?" Karyane asked, her voice a low whisper, tears threatening to fall once more.

Zenakabee looked up; when Karyane noticed the tears spilling down the other female's face, her icy look melted. "I'm sorry," Zenakabee murmured and the two long-time rivals and sisters hugged, for once forgetting about the spiteful feelings that they harbored for each other.

Meanwhile, a certain captain straightened himself, after conveniently 'hearing' the conversation. "Well, that sure was bloody enlightening. At least now I know why they argue so much." Slowly, he walked away and to his own room. Pushing his key into the lock, he grumbled, "But still, it was a waste of my bloody precious time."

**A/N: I'm thinking about posting some Pirates of the Caribbean oneshots between Christmas and next week. So if you guys would like to see those, tell me and I'll e-mail or send you a message when I have them up. Merry (early) Christmas and don't forget to review! **


	10. Important AN

Author's Note: Hey everyone! I know it's been a really long time since I've updated, but I think I finally know where I'm going with this story. I know I've asked this before, but I'm going to ask it again:

Is anyone still interested in this fic? If yes, plz drop me a msg or a review so that I know. With enough work and a lot of editing on my behalf, I think I might be able to finish this before school starts.

If I find out that anyone's interested, I'll post the real tenth chapter soon.

Thanx again for your support, you guys!

**Snippet from Chapter ten**: His eyes moved lazily from her face to her chest and the grin on his face and animated expression told Karyane the whole story. He leaned in for a kiss and Karyane found the sight to be revolting and yet she felt a pang somewhere deep in her heart.


	11. Chapter 11

**Scratched Glass**

_Chapter 11_

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of it, except my characters and the plot.**

"You're gown is tattered," Karyane commented as the newly reconciled sisters sat on their beds – one bed with one girl on one side of the room and one bed with the other girl on the other side of the room – staring apathetically into space.

"Forget the gown, I'm going to go bathe. You should too," Zenakabee suggested as she looked at her reflection in a small mirror that hung from the wall. "If anyone from home saw you, they wouldn't be able to recognize you."

It was true. Karyane, in the past few weeks, had changed quite a bit. Right before they had reached Tortuga, she had fallen ill again and this time it had taken a toll on her. Before, she was able to hold conversations, to walk about, to function with ease. Now, she looked like a frail rag doll. Her eyes and face that once danced and were happy now were dull and gloomy. The skin around her face was tighter – most of what she ate was hurled momentarily after – and her bright green eyes seemed to have misplaced their usual merriment.

Karyane seemed to have lost life. Attractive? That was what she no longer was.

Zenakabee sighed and left the room, deciding that if she didn't do anything about Karyane, her sister might just look worse – if that was even possible. She left the room, closing the door behind her and leaving an exhausted Karyane to herself.

II – II – II

"Excuse me," Zenakabee said in a small voice. However, the bartender was unable to hear her, so she tried again, "Excuse me!" she shouted, leaning over the counter so that the man's bent back was in her view.

The man jumped up, a glass mug in his hands, finally having heard Zenakabee's voice. But his quick motion took Zenakabee by surprise as well and she let out a miniature scream.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you there," the young man, whom they had met the night of the storm, said. He smiled, setting the mug in his hand down on the counter. "Do you need anything?"

But for a second, Zenakabee was unable to answer his question as she stared into his warm, brown eyes. The only thing to wake her from her unexpected and altogether sudden trance was the brown-haired man waving his hand in front of her gaze.

"Oh…oh sorry," was Zenakabee's immediate reply as her concentration refocused on the man's words and not his eyes. "What did you say?"

"I asked if you needed anything," was the man's reply as he looked at her weirdly.

"Oh well, Mr…" she paused, unsure of what to call him.

"You can call me James." And once again, he smiled.

"I need a bucket or two of water and I wish to know where the basin is," Zenakabee said, her voice returning to its usually stern and pompous tone.

"The basin's on the second floor, go to the very last door on the right hand side. You should find a few buckets with water there," he told her. But before the conversation could continue any further, the auburn-haired girl left.

II – II – II

"Let's go into the city," Zenakabee suggested, toweling her wet hair dry as she stepped into her room, wearing the violet-colored dress that Karyane had lent her. It was nothing special, just a solid-colored gown that reached to her ankles – as all dresses did – with a v-neck. But nevertheless, it was new, clean, and something besides the ball gown that she had worn for so long, and for that she was thankful.

"Zenakabee, don't be ridiculous. We don't need to get ourselves into any more of a mess than we already have," was Karyane's sullen reply. She was drained of energy; apparently her fight with Zenakabee last night had stolen her last dregs vigor.

Not one to be denied what she wanted, Zenakabee said childishly, "You're just jealous."

"I know and I'm sorry for being ever-so-obvious."

"You need to get a life."

"And you need to get a new playmate because I'm tired of your oddball ideas."

An idea came to Zenakabee's mind. "And I'm tired of your _lack_ of ideas. It's obvious that you lack the brain power that I have inherited."

There was no reply. And no reply signaled an annoyed Karyane. And an annoyed Karyane signaled an accomplished and happy Zenakabee.

"You're stupid," Zenakabee added, just in case her previous comment hadn't irritated Karyane.

"That was childish," Karyane drawled.

"Fine then, I'm childish and you're stupid."

"Then you're ugly."

"Fine then, I'm childish and ugly whilst you're stupid."

"Not to mention infuriating."

"Add another adjective to my list of flaws, Karyane, why don't you? It's not getting you anywhere."

"Yes it is."

"Pardon, but I beg to differ with an idiot such as yourself."

"And mean." Slowly, the tables were turning.

"Well then, next time I'm being mean, why don't you just tell me and I'll buy you a lollipop. How does that sound?"

"This is unfair."

"Life is unfair, my dear," was Zenakabee's haughty reply.

"Only because people make it so," Karyane added, irritated.

"Interesting observation. I'm surprised that you even have enough brain power to come up with two cents to add to the world's worth."

A sigh, and then the question, "How long are we going to be out?"

"Only a few hours. We'll be back by evening." Victory was evident in Zenakabee's voice.

"Fine," Karyane relented, getting out of bed. Pulling a wooden comb through her tangled waist length hair, she continued to grumble – feeling as if though she had a right to do so.

"There now, why couldn't you be a good little girl earlier and agree with me the first time I asked?" Zenakabee piped cheerfully as the two descended the flight of stairs. The only reply she received were incoherent curses murmured at low decibels, which served to make her even happier.

II – II – II

"Gibbs, pay attention to me, not the sky," Jack snapped at Gibbs, as the former man stared out of the inn's window wistfully. But the edge in his captain's voice served to wake Gibbs from his stupor.

"Aye," he said, turning around to face Jack. And he found out that Jack was none too happy.

"Thomas Greeneley's still out there, Gibbs. I'm sure that you can think up of more useful things to do with your time," Jack said.

Sighing, Gibbs tried to explain his side to Jack. "Look Jack, I cared for William just as much as you did, but this is ridiculous. You don't sleep, you don't eat, this is insane! Will wouldn't want…" but he was cut off by a livid Jack.

"That's the whole point. You cared for him, I still _do_ Gibbs. That's why I'm trying my best to find his murderers, while you sit here and stare out windows. If I don't sleep, if I don't eat Gibbs, it's for a good reason." His last sentence was emphasized, but it was the only one. He hadn't shouted, hadn't yelled, and hadn't thrown a fit. In fact, the only sign that showed his anger was his slow, calculated speech. Gibbs decided that this was more intimidating than the former option.

Sighing, Gibbs continued, "Look Jack, I know that you cared for Will. Everyone knows. But who are you slaving yourself for? Will? Mate, he's long gone and he's not ever coming back."

"For Elizabeth, for Will's children. What are you doing?"

The fierceness that was absent in Jack's voice chose to glitter in his eyes instead. But Gibbs still had one more card to play. If that failed, well then, so be it.

"You said that you would've found them by the end of the year. And Jack, that year's already passed. How many more do you plan on throwing away?" Jack remained silent. He couldn't say anything; Gibbs was right.

All the infamous captain could do was storm out of the inn, speechless.

II – II– II

Adelaide Ruele sat in front of the vanity mirror in her room, as one of her maids undid her bun. "My head hurts so very much," Adelaide said lightly, offering some comfort to the maid who was slowly unraveling the coiled bun. As always, Adelaide would wake up at dawn and have Marianne - the maid who was currently undoing her hair – undo her braid, brush it, and then do it up again in an unbearably tight bun. And as always, Adelaide would sit in front of the vanity mirror in her room during the evening, and have Marianne undo her bun, brush her hair, and then do her hair up in the same insufferable bun again. Some people would call it a waste of money, keeping an _extra_ maid (excluding the extra five who were kept for Adelaide's clothing and bathing), just to do her hair. But then again, whoever considered a personal maid to be a waste of money obviously wasn't married to Edward Ruele. And that's exactly why she, Adelaide, was. (She thanked God for her good fortune every day).

"Marianne, I was thinking about my love," Adelaide said wistfully, out of the blue, as Marianne let loose Adelaide's thick brown strands. The mahogany hairs, soft as silk, fell down Adelaide's back, ending a few inches above her waist.

"Mr. Ruele?" the fairly young maid asked. Marianne was used to having her lady, Adelaide Ruele, tell her a great deal whilst she combed her lady's hair. Marianne, at the young age of ten, had been hired to work for Adelaide (specifically to brush her hair) a year after the woman's marriage to Edward Ruele. She knew all about Adelaide's affection for her daughter, scorn for her step-daughter, and indifference for her husband. In fact, she had practically watched Karyane grow up. When she began her position, Karyane was five and now, seventeen years later, she was twenty-seven and Karyane twenty-two.

"No, you silly girl. Why would I be thinking of Edward?" Adelaide asked, laughing lightly, as if though the very idea was absurd. The woman's words brought the maid out of her thoughts.

"Then, if I may ask, who is it that you were thinking of?" Marianne asked, making sure that her tone was polite all the while.

"Why, my lovely Karyane. Who else?" Adelaide said with another one of her haughty laughs. Marianne nodded her head, showing that she understood, and waited for her lady to continue. In due time, Adelaide did.

"She's in Haiti, you know? With her father of course," Adelaide started off, maintaining her lofty tone, although it softened a little at the mention of her daughter.

"I'm worried that that other brat of a child might ruin my angel, but everyone has their scruples." Another pause. Marianne didn't know what scruples meant; she was a simple maid. And Adelaide had used the word, specifically, because she knew that her maid didn't know it, making her all that much crueler.

But the conversation continued. "I suppose that I trust my daughter not to associate with such riffraff, and that's all that matters." Marianne held her tongue and didn't point out that that _riffraff_ was actually Karyane's sister. Step, yes of course, but she was _still_ Karyane's sister. "I was thinking about my beautiful angel. She'll be married soon, but oh, it pains me so. I want her to get married to Thomas, I really do, but I'm her mother. My heart longs to keep her by my side forevermore, but…I know that I can't."

Another pause.

"You know Marianne, I had my doubts about Thomas at first, as did Karyane." Then quiet, as Adelaide thought over her statement, "Then again, Karyane still has doubts against that poor fellow. But I'm sure that, over the course of time, she will learn to adjust herself. But forget that, I was talking about my doubts. Thomas wasn't a prosperous man two years ago and he certainly wasn't about to inherit a fortune from his dirt-poor family. They're nice folks ,really, but haven't a shilling in their empty pockets. I can't deny that I wanted nothing to do with him or his family at first."

A further break in the flow of words; Marianne had learned that that was how Adelaide's conversations went.

"But then Edward convinced me to believe in Thomas. Within months, the boy entered into the merchant business and now look at him. It's only been two years and he's become even more successful than men who started out five years ago. Given a few more years and a beautiful, loving young lady like Karyane, he can even come close to Edward's status. It's amazing how much promise he's shown." Here Adelaide turned her neck to look Marianne in the eye. "Isn't it?" she asked, a genuine smile forming on the usually stolid lady's face.

"Yes of course it is," Marianne replied, offering a smile back at Adelaide.

But for some reason, unknown to Marianne, the comment made Adelaide frown.

"He's not good for her, is he?" Adelaide asked slowly, the frown on her face similar to that of a disappointed girl on Christmas day.

"Of…of course he is," Marianne's resolve to please her lady faltered when she saw the look of discontent and unhappiness on Adelaide's face.

Inhaling a shaky breath, Adelaide continued, "I'm lost. I have no idea of what to do. Karyane's a beautiful girl, like a bird, a graceful swan even. I honestly think this marriage will benefit her more than hurt her but I…I just don't know anymore." She held onto the dresser with her long, slender fingers that now seemed sickly instead of elegant. When she made eye contact with Marianne through the mirror again, the maid felt as if though her lady had suddenly and inexplicably aged.

"So I suppose I'll have to hope." And with that, Adelaide put on an unmoved expression, so that maybe her depression wouldn't leak through her pathetic excuse for a mask.

II – II – II

"What do you think of Jack?" Zenakabee asked Karyane, her question coming out of nowhere.

Karyane chewed her bread, mulling over her thoughts for a while before answering. She had acquired a new tendency of taking her time before replying. "Not much. I suppose that he isn't nearly as bad as I would've originally thought he was." She was about to take a sip of water from her steel mug, when Zenakabee's hand landed atop it.

"Continue." There was a determined, steel-like quality in the look that Zenakabee gave her sister.

Karyane raised an eyebrow, but didn't bother to argue with Zenakabee. "He's interesting."

The determined look turned into a glare. "How interesting?"

"Fairly."

Zenakabee snatched the loaf of bread that was in her sister's hand. "No bread either until you answer."

"Why is this so important to you?" Karyane suddenly asked, some of her skepticism deciding to become visible through her original apathy.

"Answer or I eat your loaf of bread."

Karyane grumbled, but decided that maybe it would be best to answer. After all, food was at stake. "He has horrible hygiene. Drinks too much and most of the conversations that he has with his crew are too vulgar and despicable for me to talk about. He really can be infuriating at times."

Slowly, as Karyane talked, Zenakabee handed her back the loaf of bread. Glad of the release of her food, Karyane took a bite.

"He doesn't talk much. I ask him questions from time to time, but that's probably it. His moods vary from day to day, hour to hour, minute to minute. One second he's smiling, the next he's scowling. A very confusing man, I tell you."

"Have you kissed?"

Taken aback by the open question, it took Karyane a while to answer. "Blunt, aren't you? No, why would I? I'd be caught dead than seen kissing him." She received a skeptic nod in return for this comment.

"No, but really. He can be quite a nuisance to be around. Before, it was a different story since you and I weren't exactly on the best of terms and he was the only person that I was semi-comfortable conversing with. But in all honesty, I'd even rather talk to Thomas than that Sparrow man."

"What would you do if you saw him in a…compromising situation?" Zenakabee asked. Karyane raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I do mean if you saw him with a woman of sorts…" she trailed off, her vague statement hinting to the meaning of her question.

"What do you mean, what if I saw him? The thought is repulsive, really. I mean, I don't understand why any woman would want to…share a bed with him. But…what would I do? I suppose that I would sit back and laugh to myself at the stupidity of that woman. I mean, he's a pirate, really, you can't expect much out…" Karyane was cut off.

"So you fancy him."

Karyane suddenly started choking on the water that she had been sipping. Zenakabee reached over and thumped her on her back. After a few moments of Karyane sputtering, she regained her composure and took a sip of water to clear her throat. When she was all right and looked up at her sister to argue, she noticed a disconcerting smirk on Zenakabee's face.

"What?" she asked, her tone directing straight at suspicion.

"You do fancy him."

Suddenly, the frustration that Karyane had experienced earlier on that day and the previous night returned. "First of all, that statement is absolutely ridiculous and second of all…"

"You fancy him. Everything that you've told me about him says so."

Feeling herself heat up, Karyane tried to steady her voice, "Listen Zenakabee, I do not fancy him. You asked me about him and I told you the facts about him. What more do you want?"

The smirk widened. "Those aren't facts, Karyane, those are your views, your opinions, your interpretations of Jack. Facts would be that he's a pirate, that he is the captain of a pirate ship, that he steals, that he plunders, that he has an array of objects woven into his hair, and so on and so forth. What you told me were your specific opinions _of_ that pirate."

"I do _not_ fancy him."

Zenakabee plunged on, as if though she hadn't heard her companion's previous words, "I agree with you. I think he's terribly good looking. Tell me, is it his roguish charm that appeals to you or is it his disregard for rules and respect for freedom? Personally, he's not really my type, I do prefer more refined men, but I have to agree with you and say that he's very eye-catching."

Karyane's mouth fell, as she stared at her sister disbelievingly. After a few moments of looking at Zenakabee's smug expression, Karyane glared at her and told her, "Go eat dung."

II – II – II

"Jack's been acting odd lately, Anna," Gibbs told her as he stepped into the room that he shared with Anna and his captain.

Anna, who was picking at her worn bedsheets, looked up and asked, "Odd for a person or odd for Jack?" The sentence might have been funny, if she hadn't heard the slight hint of desperation in Gibbs's tone.

"Odd for Jack. And that's what scares me."

Anna nodded understandingly. A few minutes passed in silence as Gibbs replaced his shoes for another pair. Then Anna asked, "Will he ever give up this wild goose chase? I mean, looking for Will's murderers?"

"Probably never. I mean, he is Jack, right?"

Anna smiled. "Yeah, he's Jack all right."

II – II – II

Most of Karyane and Zenakabee's day had dwindled by with argument after unimportant argument and random visits to different places. Right now, Karyane found herself stepping tentatively into a small, congested store that had folds of purple silk and taffeta material hanging from the walls in curtains. Many candles were lighted and even though she didn't see one, Karyane had a strong suspicion that an incense stick had been lighted not too long ago.

Zenakabee was seated on one of the many plush cushions that littered the floor. She noticed that an ethnic rug (it looked fairly pricey) enveloped every inch of the floor and that this rug was adorned by many colored pillows. Karyane decided that a particularly shiny golden one couldn't possibly do much harm, and sat down with as much hesitancy as she had entered the dubious looking store.

Zenakabee sat on a large pink one, and in front of this pillow was a gleaming wooden table with various objects and trinkets placed on it.

"I still don't get why we're here," Karyane hissed to Zenakabee, looking around the place doubtfully, regretful that she had been too tired to protest against Zenakabee's wishes of coming here.

"Because I want this lady to tell me my fortune. She's a psychic _and _a mind reader. She's supposed to be very good." Karyane rolled her eyes as Zenakabee's looked even more pleased with herself.

"This is stupid, do you know that? I mean, how the heck do you know that this isn't just a hoax of some sort and that this woman isn't just liberating you from your money?"

The voice was slow, confident, relaxed, exuding poise. "Because Moana isn't ta type o' woman who'd do tat, my prett' little girl." A woman, her skin a mixture of dark brown and pale light creating an illustruous tan, emerged from behind suspended beads and even more folds of silk cloth. Her eyes were a deep brown and her hair an odd mixture of golden and white. Her long straggly strands were let loose and adorned her bare shoulders like gold-white vines that might engulf her at any second. Her garments were odd, even by Tortuga's standards. In comparison to her golden olive-colored skin, she wore a deep, forest green gown (Karyane noticed the golden embroidery, it was probably even more expensive than some of the ball gowns that she owned) that seemed to be a part of her body, almost like a second skin. The sleeves hung off her shoulders and allowed her hair to cover her front. Hanging from her ear, much to both girls' displeasure and disgust, was something that looked an awful lot like a miniature, live two-inch squid.

"Now tell me, Karyane Ruele, what must I do ta prove dat to ye?" Her words ran together and were indistinct, like that of a person with too much alcohol in their system. But the cool alertness that her deep blue eyes radiated proved the contrary. Her every gesture, every movement of cloth stuck to flesh, was relaxed, lazy and yet somehow, inexplicably alert. Despite her hazy movements, it was obvious that she was a woman who knew what she was doing.

Zenakabee, having no doubts as to the woman's credibility, rushed, "Actually, _I_ would like your assistance."

"Don't hesitate, my precious, feel free ta call me by my name. What is it dat ye would like my aid in?" the woman sat down on a small black cushion opposite Zenakabee's gaudy pink one, her motions as fluid-like as ever.

Every look that Zenakabee gave the psychic showed utmost awe. "I…I want to know if I will ever find happiness…Moana."

The mysterious woman smiled, revealing semi-rotten teeth that Karyane (even though the very idea revolted her) thought were attractive. "Ahh, so ye wish ta know if ye'll ever be conten' in dis realm of ours?" Zenakabee nodded enthusiastically.

"Give me y'er palms, child." Zenakabee, slowly, like a reverential child, handed her upturned hands into Moana's small, delicate ones.

Tranquilly, the captivating woman traced the lines on Zenakabee's palms, her index finger moving like the brush of a painter. Every turn that her finger took was slow, idle, and yet certain. It was as if though the lines on Zenakabee's hands had never existed and that Moana had merely drawn them on with her magic.

A few minutes passed in silence when Zenakabee was asked, "What is it dat ye believe happiness ta be?" Her voice had a decided accent to it, much like the ones used by gypsies. Karyane suspected that she wasn't able to pronounce the 'th' sound and therefore replaced it with 'd's.

_If you really could read minds, you wouldn't have to ask her that, now would you?_ Karyane thought to herself, her mind wandering elsewhere.

"Every woman has da ability ta read minds, most of 'em just don't know it 'cause dey're so busy tryin' ta out voice each o'der. If I didn't let Zenakabee say 'er own opinions, den I wouldn't be able ta read 'er mind, now would I?" Moana asked, her voice a bare whisper, her every syllable laced with calm and quiet.

For some reason, Karyane suddenly felt cold and transparent, as if though this woman, this odd individual that she had met just mere minutes ago, could see right through the every fiber that made up her existence. Karyane decided, her thoughts clouded with a mixture of fear and awe, that maybe silence would do her good for once.

"Happiness. It's…it's when you have everything that you can possibly want. Not just some of it, but all of it. When you can no longer want anything in this world," Zenakabee said slowly, her voice hoarse for some reason.

The smile on Moana's lips was a small one, an almost sad and yet happy one. "Don't ye know love? Ye've already found it, ye just don't know it."

"But I don't understand" Zenakabee said.

"Da human mind has a vay of delaying comprehension by ushering it in, doesn't it?" There was a small laugh. "Wait for a while den tink about it. Sometimes tranquility is da key ta realization."

"Th-thank-you," Zenakabee stuttered, her eyes still glowing from wonder. Fumbling around, she placed a handful of shillings on the wooden table, much more than Moana might've asked for. "Good-good bye."

Getting up awkwardly, Zenakabee offered a weak smile as the two sisters left the store, both of them marveling over the eccentric lady that they had just met.

"Good bye, my dears." Her smile was slow, sweet, ever-so-sweet.

"She's…she's real," Karyane whispered.

"I know," Zenakabee breathed.

It was funny how a single, supposedly normal trip outside into the city of Tortuga had gotten the usually uninterested girls so very fascinated.

II – II – II

"Is that…Jack?" Zenakabee asked, as the two sisters sat on a table, back in their own inn. They were seated with Anna and another crew member of the Pearl; Gibbs had gone to get drinks.

Anna slowly turned around to look out the window and smiled, shaking her head. "Yep. That be Jack all right; can't keep his hands to himself."

Curious, Karyane turned around as well. Craning her neck so that she could see as well, she saw Jack with a full-figured woman. The woman's back was to Karyane, but Jack's gleaming teeth and lecherous grin weren't. His arms were wrapped casually about her hips, his hands resting dangerously low. His eyes moved lazily from her face to her chest and the grin on his face and animated expression told Karyane the whole story. He leaned in for a kiss and Karyane found the sight to be revolting and yet she felt a pang somewhere deep in her heart. _What a pathetic woman_, she dismissed to herself

Suddenly uninterested and not wanting to look any longer, she turned back around only to find that Zenakabee was inspecting her every move, her every expression.

"What?" Karyane asked, fairly sure that this thorough inspection was somehow related to the infuriating conversation that she had had earlier with Zenakabee.

All she got for an answer was a raised eyebrow.

A few minutes later, Jack strolled in and was about to go up to his room, when he spotted their table. Grinning, he sauntered over and sat himself next to Karyane, much to her displeasure.

"So, what have all of you been up to on this wonderfully drunk island?" he asked as he draped his arm across Karyane's shoulder. Suddenly, even though she had often been near Jack, she felt like throwing him to the floor. Scowling, she manually removed his arm from around her and placed it in his lap. He merely watched her out of the corner of his eye before he turned his attention back to what Anna and Zenakabee were telling him.

Momentarily, Gibbs appeared with their drinks. It seemed as if though he had decided to order all of the alcohol that the inn had to offer. "Drinks all around," he told them as he took his seat. Soon, everyone was laughing and a few extra chairs (and bodies) were added to the table. In fact, the entire inn seemed more crowded and everyone had had more than enough drinks in their system. Two men were playing their fiddles loudly, playing away their jolly tune as men and woman danced, some gambled, and others argued.

Even Zenakabee had decided to drink a few mugs of what she had said was whiskey. Soon, she was a lot more relaxed than her usual self, regardless of Karyane's half-hearted protests of 'stop drinking this instant'.

Laughing, Zenakabee told her sister that she was too uptight, her words slurred. "You really should discover the _wonders_ of alcohol," she added, before she left the table to take a stool by the counter.

About three quarters of an hour later, Karyane found that everyone else in the inn was in an even better mood – the _wonders_ of alcohol – and that she was in an even worse mood than before. She was still sitting next to Jack, even though she had scooted a few inches away from him and was practically plastered next to Anamaria, who was sitting on her other side.

Jack noticed.

Leaning over, a mug of some alcoholic beverage in his hand, he placed his face very close to hers. "What's wrong love? Not enjoying yourself?"

His breath stank. "I'm perfectly fine, Mr. Sparrow," she told him and turned her head so that she was looking out of the window again.

"One, it's Captain and two, I'd like to insert my professional opinion and say that you don't look too fine." He decided to scoot his chair next to hers, a grin on his face.

"Like I said before, I'm perfectly fine." For some reason, Karyane felt a small surge of anger through her body just at the sound of his voice.

"I still think you could use some alcohol," he drawled, his face so close to hers that his breath fell upon her ear. "That is, unless you're not good enough to drink," he told her. His words made no sense and his speech was less and less clear with each swig of whatever he was drinking.

"What do you mean by not good enough?" she asked him slowly, stifling a yawn for she had been venturing the city streets the whole day and had been tired to begin with. She turned her face so that her green eyes met with his brown ones.

"You see all these beautiful ladies here, love?" He gestured at all the woman in the inn, most of whom were too drunk to be held responsible for their actions. "They're beautiful, that's why they're good enough to drink. That one right there, Beth's her name I think, very pretty little lass. Very, very pretty. Trust me, I've been with her y'know?" he wagged his eyebrows suggestively and Karyane's scowl deepened. "Very pretty and look, she' drinking. You Karyane, you're not drinking. So that leads a man like me to believe that maybe," his face was dangerously close to hers and their lips were hovering next to each other, "you're not good enough. Not pretty enough."

Cautiously, Karyane leaned in to him and lethargically took the mug from his fingers, taking a small sip. "Of course I'm good enough," she retorted, tired of being sickly and awake for so long and tired of not being valued. Of course she was good enough.

"Ah, now that's a good girl. You'll love alca…alcoh…al whatever it's called." He paused to think of a word that he knew. "You'll love rum." He smirked as Karyane took a mouthful this time.

II – II – II

Zenakabee went over to the counter. The same man that she had met earlier on that day was still there. This time, however, he was busy with customers. Taking a sip of her drink, she decided that she'd just watch him for the time being.

His job must have been horrible. Serving already drunk people even more alcohol and knowing that the results couldn't possibly be positive? Horrible seemed fitting. He didn't look delighted and yet he didn't look tired. Zenakabee found herself comparing his actions to that of a scullery maid's. Mechanical, he did what he had to do and didn't express a sentiment about it.

Strangely enough, she found herself looking closer. She noticed his hair; it would fall in his eyes and he would brush it back. His eyes didn't look twice at an alluring woman and neither did they intrude into a conversation between two men. It was apparent that he minded his own business.

Minutes must have flown by as Zenakabee simply sat there, watching the man as he went about his work. She watched as he came over to her, handing a goblet of some drink or another to a man on the way.

As emotionless as ever, he asked, "What can I do for you?"

Zenakabee just looked at him for awhile. He raised his eyebrows; it didn't seem as if though he was gifted with the virtue of patience.

"I need someone." The words tumbled out of her mouth, her brain not fully comprehending what she had said. Did she say that she needed a drink or money? Or was it something else.

His eyebrows went higher. "I don't sleep with women, ma'am, it's not…"

Zenakabee leaned closer, still not fully aware of what she was doing. "Please. Just…just talk to me even." Their eyes were still locked.

"Ma'am, I have to work, I'm busy right…"

Again, he was cut off. "I need someone," she repeated, the desperation that was in her voice the last time now replaced with confidence.

Sighing, he shook his head and asked after a minute, "What do you want to talk about?" _I really need to get a backbone one of these days,_ he thought to himself.

"You. What's your name? Why do you work here? I've seen that you don't fit in with anyone else. You have very pretty eyes. I think you need to get off this godforsaken island." Statements, questions, they were all jumbled, slurred together but eyes as sharp as ever.

The bartender pulled up a stool and decided that he might as well answer the woman's questions for the moment. After all, no one else needed anything from him right now. "My name is James. I told you that earlier today. I work here because I need the money and because, as of current, I have nowhere else to go. I don't fit in because I don't want to. And in all honesty, which man in his right mind would want to fit in with a bunch of drunkards and thieves? I guess I should say thank-you for the compliment. And if I were to get off this godforsaken island, as you choose to call it, where would I go?" He had answered all of her questions. Zenakabee smiled, pleased.

"You could come with me."

He shook his head. This woman really had too much to drink for one night.

"Do you have a dream of some sort?" She sipped on her drink, enjoying the sensation of the liquid as it cascaded down her throat.

"A dream? My idea for my future's vague. I suppose I want to find a woman someday and settle down. Have some kids. Find a better place to live. Find a better job. I guess all I really want is to be happy."

The mug was a hair's width from her lips, but she put it down on the counter. Maybe she had had enough rum and whiskey for one night. "Just like me." She smiled another smile. Another real smile.

And this time, he returned it.

II – II – II

Two hours had passed since Gibbs had come to their table with drinks and in those two hours, the loud, but fairly safe inn had transformed itself into a rowdy place with yelling, fighting, brawling - the works.

And in those two hours, Karyane had also managed to chug down quite a few mugs of rum. Her previously ailing body had been rejuvenated by the alcohol in her veins. Right now, she was talking to an acquaintance about the bed sheets that she slept on back at home. If she had been sober, Karyane might've realized that her "acquaintance" was none other than a common whore. Both of them giggled as Karyane said the word purple and soon their giggles turned into uncontrollable peals of laughter.

Out of nowhere, a man in a tricorner hat whom Karyane didn't recognize and yet was familiar with drew up a chair and joined their conversation. Five minutes later, the departure of Karyane's acquaintance, and another mug of rum for Karyane, they were now talking about what the king of England probably ate for dinner.

"That bloke's terribly rich, probably gets all the women he wants," the man said, his words smeared together like the colors on an artist's canvas. Both of them laughed.

"I'm sure you get all the women you want too. And you probably don't even need all that money," Karyane told him, raising her mug to him as she leaned in.

The man smiled, and for a second, he seemed serious. "I haven't gotten you, love," he whispered into her ear, leaning closer.

"Hmm," she murmured, playing with one of his dreadlocks, twirling it around her finger as she bit her lip teasingly. "I'm sure you could if you tried," she told him. "You probably haven't tried very hard," she told him, her voice suddenly like that of a five-year old who strongly believed in fairly tales. Being this close to a man, and one that was as beautiful as the one before her, gave Karyane goosebumps and she had to stop herself from shivering in delight. They were so close.

She was intoxicated. And not just because of the liquid that she had consumed.

"You're a very interesting man, you know that?" she smiled at him.

"Really?" he murmured, his lips inches away from her cheek.

"Really."

He paused, simply looking into her eyes, not knowing that his gaze made her already jumbled thoughts spin haphazardly. Slowly, a lopsided grin appeared on his lips. "You probably wouldn't say that if you weren't drunk," he told her.

"I probably would."

"How can I be sure?"

"If you ever see me when I'm not drunk, you can ask me and I'll tell you just exactly how _intrigued_ I am by you." To Karyane, it was as if though the ravishing man sitting before her was the only human in the inn other than her.

And suddenly, without giving the idea another thought, Karyane was kissing Jack Sparrow, presumably forgetting that she would rather be caught dead than seen kissing him.

As Zenakabee sat on her stool, watching amusedly as Karyane pressed her lips against Jack's, she thought, _I guess she finally decided to discover the **wonders** of alcohol._

**A/N:**

**There it is, the longest chapter I've ever written with 6,700 words. In case some of you have read the earlier version, I deleted some parts that really were unnecessary (it was 7,500 words before and WAY too long). I also had to go over it a couple of times, re-word certain sentences cuz they didn't fit and in one instance change Jack cuz he seemed OOC. One, I'm going to try keeping Karyane from being too Sue-ish and two, edit the contents of previous chapters. **

**And btw, Moana's speech _is_ based on Tia Dalma's but her 'store' and character isn't. If you've seen DMC, you'll probably have a good idea of what I wanted Moana to sound like. Be sure to tell me how I'm doing with the characters. :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Scratched Glass**

Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: Pirates doesn't belong to me, I swear. All I've got are Karyane, Zenakabee, the plot, and my wardrobe. **

Karyane woke up to a pounding in her head. It was earlymorning. The sunlight that poured into her room was testimony to that.

But then a muddled thought formed in her brain, _But this isn't my room._

Her bed had suddenly grown in size and instead of a blanket, she had a warmer comforter surrounding her. Where was she? Putting her hands to her head, she closed her eyes to block out the harsh glaring sunlight.

Oh yes, Tortuga. They had arrived here two nights ago. Or was it three? No, she was pretty sure that it was two. Tonight would be the third night. Slowly, she tried thinking her way through her confusion, despite the aching in her head. She felt as if though her skull would crack open.

Yes, she shared a room with Zenakabee. They had gone outside of the inn and had visited various places the day before. She had reconciled with Zenakabee. Getting up slowly, her movements sluggish, she looked for the bed across from hers. But instead of finding one, she found two. And instead of Zenakabee, she saw Anamaria and Gibbs. _What am I doing here? This isn't my room and this definitely isn't where I had slept last night._

But for some reason, some small part of her brain – a part thatwas obviouslypain free and still functional – told her that this was indeed where she had slept last night.

Slowly, more thoughts started filtering in. A man, a tricorner hat, and gleaming teeth. He was attractive, she remembered that much, but she didn't remember his face or name. She had drank too much alcohol. Way too much.

That explained for the thudding in her head.

And she had kissed him. Oh yes, now she remembered she remembered that too. And she was pretty sure that they had done more than just kiss. Not _that _much more, but still more.

The man was interesting, if she wanted to be vague. His every movement was graceful, fluid-like. His words were slurred, but what he had to say was thought-provoking. She was enchanted by his every word and sentence, even some of the fragmented ones that didn't make any sense.

_But who was he?_

Karyane groaned. Her head hurt from all of this thinking. That was when she noticed the slight breeze touching her back. _My back? But I'm wearing a dress._

Her small hands traveled to her back, only to find that not all of the strings were tied. And the strings that were tied were loose, as if though they had been doen up carelessly. No, she didn't tie them that way. She tied them tight. She _always _tied them tight.

And thenanother thing. _God, I'm remembering one too many things during this godforsaken hour. If only my brain would shut its trap._ There was a lump lying a foot away from her, the warm comforter covering it from view.

She poked it and it groaned. This wasn't a lump,it was another person. And a man, by the sound of it.

_Oh good Lord, who is this man? And why is he intruding in my bed? _

Karyane stifled the urge to do something irrational, like maybe hit the person over the head with an object; it didn't have to be a brick, although one would be appreciated at this moment, but just an object. Deciding to calm herself down, she opted to pulling away the comforter just enough so she could see the man's back. Leaning over, she got a look at the man's face.

And she let out a scream. It was Jack Sparrow.

Suddenly, everything made sense. The mysterious man, the strings to her dress not fully tied, everything. She had kissed Jack Sparrow. Then she remembered what she had said to Zenakabee.

_"I'd rather be caught dead than seen kissing him."_

"God, I'm not dead. That means...Urgh!" she let out another scream, this one out of pure frustration.

II – II – II

Anamaria heard a bloodcurdling scream. For a second, she thought she was having a nightmare. But when she quickly got up and bumped her head against the ceiling (she was sleeping on the upper bunk bed) and felt pain, she knew that the scream was real. Turning her head around, she saw that their captive was leaning over a snoring lump, presumably Jack. "What the..." she mumbled to herself.

There was Karyane, the weak, innocent little girl that they had found in Port Royal, screaming her lungs off. Anamaria still wasn't sure why the girl, or her step sister, were aboard the Pearl, but she was fairly sure that it had something to do with Jack's revenge for William's murderers.

_Wait, what is she doing in Jack's bed?_

The thought struck Anamaria out of nowhere and then she remembered a deliriously drunk Karyane plastering herself against Jack. Apparently, Jack had furthered the kiss into something other than just a kiss and even though Karyane was wearing clothes, Anamaria was sure that the captain and his captive had done more than just kiss each other.

_So **that's** what she's doing in Jack's bed._

"Psst. Gibbs," Anamaria hissed at her crewmate, the man who was sleeping on the bed below hers.

The large, scruffy man turned over and mumbled something when Anamaria called his name again. Karyane mumbled something to herself then let out another scream, this time for no apparent reason, and it hastened to wake Gibbs up.

"What!" he yelled, getting up too quickly and bumping his head against the bed above his, just like Anamaria had bumped hers against the ceiling. Looking towards the general direction of the scream, Gibbs saw the absolutely horrified expression on Karyane's face as she looked into Jack's sleeping face. His eyes locked with Anamaria's, only to see that she was smirking down at him.

"Guess the two couldn't keep their hands to themselves," Anamaria told him with a laugh. Gibbs smiled.

"Take back that comment! Nothing happened between the two of us!" Karyane shouted from her position on the bed, having decided to join the conversation. The two other crew members just smiled at her knowingly. Infuriated, she got out of bed and stomped out of the room, her heavy footfalls accentuating her fury.

II – II – II

Zenakabee had had too much to drink. And now her head was paying the price. She groaned as she sat up and moved aside her blankets. _When was the last timeI drank that much?_

Moving like a sloth, she slowly got out of bed and headed for the small mirror that hung on the wall. Pulling up a chair, she grabbed the comb that she and Karyane shared and started dragging it through her medium-length auburn hair.

_Speaking of Karyane, where is she?_

But the thought of her step-sister was soon forgotten since it was linked with last night. And last night reminded her of James, the _very_ interesting bartender that she had met.

She could tell that at first he was talking to her just to get rid of her. Maybe he had hoped that if he answered her questions, she would leave him alone. He obviously hadn't met Zenakabee. Answering one question meant answering a dozen more. And at first, Zenakabee hadn't been too interested either; she just needed someone to talk to.

But soon, a few words had turned into a few more and a few more had turned into an entire conversation and then that had turned into something deep and meaningful. She had gone up to bed at around three in the morning; they had talked the whole night away. She knew that she had told him far too much than a stranger could be trusted with. She had told him that they hadn't really asked the crew for help, that they were kidnapped, and that the two sisters had actually grown fond of the dysfunctional crew.

And then she had started telling him about herself, her life, Karyane, her vicious step-mother Adelaide, and her love for Charles. Indeed, she had told him far too much than she should have told a complete stranger.

And yet, for some unknown reason, she trusted him, even though all of her logical thinking told her not to.

Sighing, Zenakabee looked into the mirror. Staring back at her was a simple looking girl with an ego to match the king's.

_Maybe if I was pretty enough, he'd notice me. Maybe if I was more like Karyane._

Shaking her head, she dismissed the thought. Karyane was pretty, there was no denying that. But Zenakabee, even though she didn't want to admit it, knew that her sister had flaws. Small ones, but they were still there. Yes, at times Karyane would seem so perfect, too perfect even. But then, pieces of her shell would start coming off and a glimpse of the real Karyane could be seen. Like a baby chick that is struggling to release itself from its protective shell, Karyane always wanted to break free of her bothersome shell.

_It's funny. She really is like a baby chick._

And then Zenakabee thought some more, even though her head hurt from all the alcohol that she had drank from the previous night. A baby chick was protected by its shell. Its shell was what shielded the vulnerable creature from the hazards of the outside world. And yet, if the chick didn't break free, it wouldn't be able to breathe. It would suffocate from the confines of the shell if it stayed in for too long.. And even though the chick knew with every ounce of certainty that it might die if it went outside, it tried to break free. It tried its bloody hardest. So it was really a matter of living in that shell - fairly comfortable and having all the amenities in the world - and seeing how long it would survive or breaking free and risking its safety for freedom. It was safety versus danger, confinement versus freedom

And just like the chick, Karyane was trying her bloody hardest to break free from the lap of luxury, from her parents, from society, from her shell so that maybe she could risk everything just to be killed out there in the real world.

_She doesn't show it, but I know that she'd much rather have an instant of freedom and die than live comfortably with everything that a girl could want and feel like a prisoner._

Zenakabee smiled. _I guess the kiss that she shared with Jack last night was just the beginning of her fight for freedom._

II – II – II

The wet mop in James's hand swept back and forth across the inn's dirty floors. Last night had been hectic and in more ways than just one.

For the past two weeks, the inn had been relatively quiet. Not much rum had been purchased, not too many strumpets had entered, and not a single fight. Last night took care of all three and another problem, an extra guest. James had sold innumerable amounts of alcohol, had started confusing his inn for a whore-house, had witnessed various brawls escalade, and had a very interesting (not to mention long) conversation with a very interesting woman.

She had come out of nowhere and sat down on a stool. Didn't rush him, didn't yell at him for not coming to her sooner; she just sat there. Just sat there and watched his every intent like a hawk watches its prey. Whether she knew that James was aware of her gaze was irrelevant; she had been boring holes through him. So naturally, by the time he got to her, he was intimidated.

And she didn't want a drink either. No, she had wanted him. At first, he was taken aback and then he realized that she wanted him not for purposes of love-making, but rather conversation. He had barely agreed to talk to her, when her questions bombarded him one after another, not even allowing him a second to think. After almost half an hour, her interrogation ended. Then she just sat there, her supposedly normal brown eyes just looking at him.

But her normal brown eyes were that only until James had taken a closer look. They were pools of dark brown, their purpose to probe into the affairs of others, no matter how minor, and their effect enchanting. He had thought of preventing a fight, of which the beginnings were now forming, when her hand was atop his and her stare was locked dead-on with his, as intense as ever."Ignore them," she told him, her voice like the soothing calm of a mother's. But you weren't supposed to be drawn to your mother, James knew that for sure.

He pulled up a stool behind the counter and started probing into her life. Slowly, tentatively, she told all. He discovered that she didn't even have a brother, so how could she be looking for him, that she was a captive but oddly enough didn't mind that so much, had a step-sister that she had envied up until the previous night, a cruel step-mother, and a man by the name of Charles who had her heart.

Zenakabee Ruele. That was her name. Pride had been branded onto her forehead and wit on her tongue. She was average-looking, boisterous, argumentative, haughty, and everything that would repel a man.

She had succeeded in doing quite the opposite.

II – II – II

Zenakabee had barely finished combing her hair when her step-sister barreled into the room like an enraged bull. She was muttering curses; her hair was flying behind her, and her eyes revealed rage and not an emotion less.

"What happened?" Zenakabee asked as Karyane slammed the door behind her. Zenakabee winced; slammed doors were never a good sign.

And neither was the look that Karyane gave her.

"You," she whispered, her voice deathlike, the expression on her face making Zenakabee wonder if she should pray for her soul before asking another question.

Zenakabee gulped. "Me?"

Karyane's voice was low, slow from the force that she was using to control herself. "_You're_ the reason I even thought of drinking. You're the reason I started drinking more. You're the reason I started talking to that despicable woman and then Jack. You're the reason that I _kissed_ Jack Sparrow, the man that I'm supposed to hate with my every fiber. You're the reason I went upstairs to his room." Her speech was gaining momentum as her voice was gaining volume and her self-control was starting to deteriorate. "You're the reason I did God knows what with that vile pirate. _You're_ the reason I woke up with the world's worst headache this morning. And _you're_ the reason I woke up next to none other than Jack Sparrow!" Her last sentence was yelled, hurled at her step-sister with contempt that should've been saved for an enemy, not a sister.

"Me?" Zenakabee asked meekly. Involuntarily, she had shrunk back in fear.

"Yes you!" Karyane spat. And then more curses. Except this time, she didn't keep them to herself. She decided to share them with the entire inn.

"Calm…calm down Karyane. Really, it's no big deal," Zenakabee stuttered, walking towards her sister slowly, a comb in hand in case she needed it for a shield.

"No big deal! Are you out of your mind! I slept with the godforsaken bastard and you know what? My dress wasn't even tied! I don't even know if that low-life raped me or not!" Zenakabee shrunk back again as the onslaught of words continued.

Suddenly, she felt like she'd rather face the headache that she had jut a few minutes ago than her supposedly calm, peaceful sister.

II – II – II

Jack turned over on his other side. Hearing the chatter of the city, and the crashing of tumultuous waves as they collided against one another, Jack awoke. The sun's rays glared harshly into his eyes as he squinted in order to see. Yawning, he stretched his arms and legs and rubbed his still sleepy eyes. Guessing by the level of noise, it was probably an hour past noon.

He lay there for a while, looking up at the ceiling and scratching his chest. The warm comforter surrounded him and despite the fact that he had probably slept for over twelve hours, slumber was still imminent. But just one thing was stopping sleep from washing over him once again and it was a voice that was nagging him to no end.

Something had happened, something that Jack should've remembered. Yawning, he tried to remember what his brain was trying to tell him. Bloody hell, he had probably drank too much rum.

And at the mention of the sweet, intoxicating liquid, the events of the previous night returned to him.

_/Flashback/_

_Suddenly, Karyane's lips were upon his. _

_Taken aback, he just sat there but he soon learned, as the girl got up from her chair and placed herself comfortably in his lap, that this was against Karyane's wishes. His tongue, after some persuasion, crossed over her lips and she opened her mouth willingly. _

_It was just a kiss. _

_It was just a kiss. _

_That was what he reminded himself but the girl whose lips were against his had other ideas. _

_Soon, Jack found himself being raised out of his chair by her hands and the two stumbled across the inn, not bothering to break apartjust to stop from stumbling. They bumped into random people, found their way amidst a fight unknowingly, and she almost fell once, but his grip around her waist was firm and all he did was lean down and pick her up again._

_She pulled away and for a moment, just that one, Jack thought she would slap him as he saw something close to recognition in her eyes. But all she did was smirk and tease him up the stairs._

_They fell down upon his bed, his flimsy shirt fluttering to the floor as it left Karyane's hands. The strings at the back of her dress were undone and soon her neck and chest were littered with fiery kisses. Bringing his lips back to hers, Jack was about to kiss her when he realized something._

_She had fallen asleep._

_For a second, he was in denial. He started trailing fingers along her stomach and whispered words to her to see if she was awake. A smirk found its way onto his face. Here was a sleeping girl who had seemed more than willing to give herself up to him just seconds ago and was only partially clothed. It wouldn't be too hard to...she probably wouldn't even notice._

_But he just shook his head and slipped her dress back on, doing his best to tie the strings with his fumbling fingers, his fuzzy thoughts not alert enough to tell his hands just exactly what they needed to do. If he had been someone else or if she had been a woman that he had paid, Karyane would not be asleep right now._

_But he wasn't and neither was she. True, he was a pirate, but he'd much rather have a woman scream his name than rape a sleeping girl who he hadn't even paid. Muttering light-hearted curses, meaning no real insult, he picked her up and placed her in a more comfortable position, her head on his soft pillows. He pulled the comforter around her and then got in next to her._

_"Good night," he whispered to no one in particular. And that was when sleep had come calling to him, its voice soft and alluring._

_/Flashback/_

Getting up, he realized that no one else was in his room. Sighing, Jack shook his head, murmuring to himself, as he looked for his shirt, "That girl really isn't worth all the trouble that she puts me through."

Having found his shirt, he put it on and tightened the signature red bandana around his head as he went down the stairs on his tip-toes, his descent anything but quiet as he staggered against the wall for a second. The effects of the rum from last night hadn't washed away yet.

As he reached the bottom landing, he saw that the inn-keeper had apparently cleaned up after last night's mess.

_How do these men clean up so fast? Whelps, all of 'em._

_Eh, figures as much._

Jack had reached the door, about to step out into the streets to find himself something to do, when he heard his name. "Jack Sparrow, you conniving bastard, get over here!" Jack turned around, mid-step, swiveling on one heel as he turned to face whoever had called him. It was that girl, Karyane or what's her name's sister. She was smiling dangerously at him as she sipped from a steel mug.

"Aye love?" he called back, his voice flirtatious, his smirk in place. Haphazardly, as he always was, Jack walked over to the table that she was seated at. "What can I do for you?" he asked, placing himself between her and the man that she was sitting next to.

"Hey, what're you doing here?" Jack asked the other man suddenly, for that was when he had realized that it was he was next to the inn-keeper of this very place. The other man just quirked an eyebrow at him. "Never mind."

"He's here because I was talking to him. Jack, this is James, James this is Jack," Zenakabee introduced.

James extended his hand but Jack just looked at it as if though it was some bizarre thing and flinched. The young man looked at Jack, his expression a mix of befuddlement and ill-treatment. Eyeing the other man's expression, Jack leaned in conspiratorially, as if though he had a secret to share, and whispered just loud enough so that everyone could hear, "I heard all you whelps are eunuchs." Jack looked down pointedly.

"Don't be ridiculous," Zenakabee told him, but there was a smile on her face, just like the one on James's.

"Anyway Jack, you were asking what you could do for me? Tell me if you remember something funny happening last night." Her smirk was identical to his.

Jack looked at Karyane, only to see that she was staring at him. Quickly, she returned her eyes to the table, ignoring his gaze. He looked back to Zenakabee and could only grin like an idiot.

"I don't know. Tell me Karyane what's-it, do you remember if something funny happened last night?" he asked her as he slowly got up from between Zenakabee and the bartender and went over to squat next to Karyane. She was forced to look into his eyes. "Did anything funny happen?" he asked again, grinning wider as he saw her doing her best to ignore him.

Realizing that she probably wasn't going to answer, Jack said to no one in particular, "Nope. Not a single lil' ol' thing happened last night."

With that, he got up and was about to leave again, but not before he looked over his shoulder, locked eyes with Karyane's, and called, "Just thought I'd remind a certain someone of how _intrigued_ she was by me last night."

Zenakabee laughed and Karyane blushed. _My job here is done_, he thought to himself with a satisfied smirk.

**A/N: There it is, Chapter 12. This one was longer too, almost the size of Chapter 11, but that one was a bit long so I decided to carry some of the parts from this chapter over to the next one. Tell me what you guys think.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Scratched Glass**

_Chapter 13_

"Where's Karyane?" Jack mumbled to Anamaria as he made some markings on the map laid out before him.

"In her room, moping around probably."

Jack just nodded, not really hearing what she had said, since the words were coming in through one ear and out the other.

Anamaria noticed. "Why do you ask? And what're you looking at?" she asked, as she peered over his shoulder to see the map that was on his desk. He mumbled incoherent words.

"What?" she asked.

Jack sighed, put down the short quill in his hand, and then turned his aggravated glare onto her, only to say, "I asked just because. And it's a map."

But Anamaria was just as stubborn. "Why are you looking at this map?"

"Because I'm planning." His words were accentuated by the narrowing of his glare.

"Planning what?" Anamaria was practically growling. Most of the crew had expected to stay on land for only a few days, not an entire week. And it didn't look like they were going to be getting off anytime soon, which only added to everyone's frustration.

Delivering his words through the nonexistent gap between his two rows of teeth, Jack ground out, "I asked you the question because I did, I'm looking at a map, I'm looking at said map because I'm planning, and I'm _obviously_ planning a _plan._"

Anamaria was not one to give up. "What do you plan on doing in this plan of yours?"

"Bloody hell, just get out of my room!" Jack snapped, turning around, his eyes wide in characteristic anger. Anamaria just grumbled and left, only to have the words, "Gibbs was bloody right, she really is bad luck," grumbled after her.

II - II - II

More retching as the contents of Zenakabee's stomach flew into the pail in front of her. Holding onto the dead grass, knuckles pale as snow, she felt as if though the world was spinning. Vaguely, she realized Karyane was thumping her back and holding her sticky red-brown strands away from her face as the two stood out back of the inn. A few feet away was James, looking as if though he were about to hurl at any moment too.

Instead of Karyane, this time Zenakabee was sick. Something had gotten to her and for the past week, everything that she had eaten had come right back up and her entire body suffered from waves of pain.

And it was all so sudden. The evening after her first encounter with James was when it started. Out of nowhere, her back and stomach started hurting. By the night, she had already heaved once. By the end of the week, she looked even weaker than her gaunt step sister.

A minute or two later, her stomach ran out of things to throw up and Karyane wiped away the bile, saliva, and bits of food that stuck to Zenakabee's face with a strip of cloth.

"Are you okay?" Karyane asked, her voice lined with concern.

"I don't know," Zenakabee groaned, her voice croaking like that of a frog's. She winced, as the aftertaste of bile and God knows what settled in her throat, causing a burn with every sound that she made.

"What are we going to do?" Karyane asked, turning to James for help. Before, she had thought that she was the one in need, the one who needed help. Now, Karyane looked like the healthiest human being alive in comparison to Zenakabee.

James came forward, playing the ever-so-supportive stranger that he was supposed to be. "We've tried everything, but nothing seems to work," he whispered, not wanting to scare either of the two girls before him and yet trying to convey the solemnity of what was happening to Zenakabee.

He began again, this time clearing his throat and gaining some confidence, "Nothing's working. We have limited supplies and we've given her everything that we have."

"So what does that mean?" Karyane asked, looking directly into his eyes, her own showing nothing but vulnerability.

James just shook his head; he didn't want to say anything with Zenakabee being right there and everything.

There was a moment of silence, as Karyane realized that her sister - whose stomach had now found more food in the recesses of its regions and was shoving everything that Zenakabee had shoved down her throat back up again - was right in front of her. "Is there anything that we can do?" Karyane asked, not wanting to lose hope.

"There is a mystic around here. She's supposed to be able to read minds, predict the future, and be a healer; the works. I don't know about her credibility, but we there's no harm in trying." He paused, looking at Karyane's face, trying to discern a reaction from her. "I mean, we've tried everything that _we_ could, so why not let someone else try?" Another pause, for he still couldn't figure out Karyane's expression; it was a mix of recognition, shock, disbelief, a hint of anger, and fear. James was confused, but nevertheless, he went on with the hopes that maybe if he could convince Karyane to visit the mystic, then maybe Zenakabee could be healed. "She could save Zenakabee, you never know. Her name's Moana. Ever heard of her?"

_**/Flashback/**_

"Because Moana isn't ta type o' woman who'd do tat, my prett' little girl." The pale, oddly dressed, eccentric, and all together mysterious woman revealed herself from behind suspended glittering beads and curtains of silk cloth that hung from the ceiling.

"Now tell me, Karyane Ruele, what must I do ta prove dat to ye?"

_**/Flashback/**_

Karyane nodded; she remembered Moana all right.

II - II - II

Most of the crew was now gathered in Jack's room, with the exception of an angry Anamaria and the two girls who had been on board since what seemed like forever. Just a day earlier, Gibbs had pointed out that the crew was getting tired of being on land and not knowing what the course of action was.

"All right-y. Now that I have all of you scoundrels rounded up, here's the plan. We're going to sail over to Haiti, in order to get the information. Our pretty little captive is going to run her little bottom up to her father's mansion, with an escort obviously, and get our information," Jack looked at his audience to get the point across. He didn't need to, for every last one of them were leaning forward with anticipation. "Then, once the pretty little girl's gotten said information, she'll return to our pretty little Pearl," his sentence was punctuated by a few laughs from the crew, "and first, she'll tell us what Thomas told her to tell us, then tell us what she needs to tell us. Clear?" He asked, his words a jumble.

Here, he had lost some of the crew. Gibbs shook his head and shouted, so that everyone could hear him, "What he means to say is that she'll tell us what Thomas told her to tell us. That way we know if he's trying to plan something and maybe we can stop it. Then, she'll tell us what he _really_ told her and we'll be good to go." There was a nodding of heads; Jack expected people to understand what he said, Gibbs actually explained it.

Jack took over again. "Once that is done, we will sail off with our information to find who we need and then to do what we need to do with the people that we need. Aye?" This time, the crew understood for they all nodded and grinned as a chorus of spirited "Aye"s followed.

"All right you scabrous dogs, get on with your lives!" he shouted and his happy crew filed out of his jammed room. One by one, they left, until only Jack and Gibbs were left in the room.

Walking over to Jack, who was looking intently at the map that had been on his desk the entire day, Gibbs asked, "What do we do with the girl's after we've found out what we need?"

Jack looked up to Gibbs, as if though the man in front of him was absolutely ridiculous, and said nonchalantly, "You can't expect me to plan that far ahead Gibbs. The idea's blas…blasph…blasphemous."

"Aye, well I suppose you could figure that out later, but what if the girl doesn't return?"

"I've got her sister, don't I?" he asked, moving his head slightly with his words, his beaded locks jingling.

"Aye, but what if she doesn't care for the sister no more?"

"Gibbs," Jack began, sighing for emphasis. "You have yet to learn one thing about women."

"What's that?" Gibbs asked, slightly curious about what he didn't yet know.

"They're a lot more loyal than we men are," Jack told him, a devilish grin on his face.

Gibbs nodded, then added, "And honest."

Jack looked up, pondering on the addition. "That too," he agreed, deciding that Gibbs was right.

"But still, what if she doesn't tell us the truth and then the past month's gone to waste?" Gibbs asked, his mind once again clouding with worry.

Jack sighed again and rubbed his temples. This was getting annoying. "Tell me Gibbs, what would you do if I pointed a gun at your head right now and told you to do what I wanted?" Jack asked, his voice a bare whisper and his eyes closed from the effort of not raising his voice.

Gibbs thought about his answer for a second, then replied, "I'd do what you wanted."

Jack's replied through tightly clenched teeth, deflecting rays of light, "All right then, I have two things to tell you." He slowly opened his eyes.

"One, I _want_ you to stop asking these 'what if' questions and I only say that with your safety in mind." He forced a fake smile, which Gibbs hesitantly returned.

"And two, if I pointed a gun at your head and you did what I wanted, then what do you think the girl would do if I pointed a gun at _her _head?" he asked as if though he was dealing with a child.

"I think she'd do what you wanted her to do," Gibbs answered, slowly inching away from Jack and towards the door.

"Aye," the word was chewed out. "And what do you think I want _you_ to do right now Gibbs?"

"Leave," Gibbs suggested, giving Jack what he hoped was a convincing smile. He didn't like an angry Jack, no one did.

"All right then, go do that," Jack told him and waved his hands as if though he was shooing out an annoying little kid.

Gibbs left without protest, and in record time too Jack noted to himself. Sighing, Jack went over to his desk, sat down, and looked back down at the map. "Bloody hell, I'm starting to think that that _man's_ bad luck," he whispered to himself as he made a marking.

II - II - II

Thomas played with the frilly jabot that was tied to his neckband. They had arrived in Haiti just two days ago and he was to meet Augustus Benoit today. The man was the reason that Karyane's father, Edward, had forced Thomas to stay in Haiti. He was also the reason that Thomas had made the lucrative deal and had received much acclaim from all the well-to-do men in Haiti and nearby islands.

Thank God for Augustus Benoit.

The door to the spacious library that he was sitting in, along with Edward, opened and a butler entered, announcing Mr. Benoit's arrival. Both Thomas and Edward got up to greet the man and they shook hands.

Tall, dark, handsome, and no wig. That was what came to mind when one thought of Augustus Benoit. To say at the very least, his roguish good looks and deep baritone not only attracted ladies, but intimidated men. He was a successful man and his ability to manipulate others into doing his work for him was key.

Everyone sat down and discussed trivial things for nearly half an hour and eventually ran out of irrelevant things to discuss. As the butler was about to refill Mr. Ruele's cup again, Edward stopped him. "No thank you, I don't need any more tea. Well then gentlemen, I think I'll leave you two to your work," he said as he got up and left with a smile.

"So, Thomas, m'boy, let's talk," Mr. Benoit started.

"Yes, Mr. Benoit, let's get down to business. First I was thinking that maybe we could go over..." but Thomas was cut off by his companion's chuckle.

"First of all, you're my close friend now, so you call me Augustus. And second of all, I want to know about you. Your personal life." The businessman smiled congenially.

A thought struck Thomas. _Since when were we close friends?_

"You're a strapping young lad; tell me if you've got your eye on a certain woman. Or do you just wander around?" Augustus wagged his eyebrows suggestively. The thought repulsed Thomas, even though he knew that the more lucrative businessmen never slept with just one woman, even if they were married. There was always a mistress, or a governess, or a scullery maid somewhere that had caught yet another influential man's eye. _Always_.

"No, it's just that..."

"What? You don't want to tell good ol' Augustus? We're close friends now, remember?"

The question that Thomas had asked himself was now answered, _Since now._

"No, it's just that I thought we were going to get down to business after Mr. Ruele left and all." Thomas let his sentence hang in the air.

"Bah, forget business. Let's talk things over a glass of wine. Tell me, is there a girl you've found?"

Thomas didn't mean to, he really didn't. But somehow, everything about Karyane came out. Her beauty, how much he loved her, what lengths he was willing to go for her, her rejection. Even the contents of her letter, even though she had told him not to tell anyone else about it. But Augustus just worked it out of his mouth, like magic. And like magic, he found out everything. Literally, _everything._

Sipping his glass of wine - the tea had been removed long ago, right after Edward had left the room - Augustus just looked at Thomas with piercing eyes. There was quiet in the room.

"So you love her." Thomas nodded. "How far are you willing to go to get her?"

"I'd do anything." Thomas hadn't even thought about it, he just _knew_ it in the back of his mind.

Augustus sipped on his wine again. "Hmmm. Well, I have an idea." Thomas waited for him to elaborate.

"You tell her to meet you in this very mansion. Forget backyards, they're too public. Anyone could walk in on the two of you. Meet on an upper floor, you'll be granted more privacy. Decide on the exact date and time. I know, I'll pick a day for you. How about the first of August? It's only three weeks from now. Tell her to come alone, she might and she might not, it all depends on her captives. Hold this entire thing at night, probably past midnight. Otherwise her father might interrupt or some butler and you wouldn't want that happening," Augustus explained

Thomas nodded. He was listening with earnest now.

"Tell her that you'll be the only one there and that no one else will be notified. But make sure that you have henchmen surrounding this mansion. She might notice, she might not. It doesn't matter, all that does is her safety. You say they want information out of you. Tell her everything that she asks you. _Everything. _She'll be safer that way, trust me."

And Thomas did. For some reason, he felt as if though this man was his father. Or maybe it was just his powerful voice that commanded authority.

"Then let her go. Let her go back to her captives. Let her tell them what she needs to. They'll let her go. If they don't, then you can go after their ship. That way you'll get your girl and capture those pirates as well; you have everything to gain. Am I understood?"

Oddly enough, Thomas felt as if though they were discussing top secret matters. But he nodded anyway.

"Will you do exactly as I say?" Augustus asked, a glint in his eye as he watched Thomas's face closely.

"Exactly," Thomas said as he nodded solemnly.

"Remember, this mansion on August the first, past midnight, and tell her _everything._ Don't leave out a single detail. I have a feeling that her life is going to depend on it." Augustus finished, the delivery of his words doing more for him than his actual words.

"And write her a letter. Give it to me, I can probably find some scallywag on these ports to get it to her captives."

"All right sir. I'll do it right now." Thomas took out a piece of parchment and a large feathery quill and wrote a formal letter to Karyane, putting in all the necessary information for their meeting. It was only a paragraph long. He signed it. Then, as an after thought, he added a postscript saying, _'I'll be waiting here for you Karyane, don't worry my love'_

"There you go," Thomas told Augustus, handing him the letter.

Augustus looked over the letter and nodded grimly at Thomas. "Don't worry m'boy, everything will go according to plan. I'll see you later since it's getting late and I promised my wife that I'd help her pick out a dress for some event or another." He tucked the letter into his expensive coat and headed towards the door. But right before he left, he added, "And if Edward asks anything, just tell him that we were finalizing some things from our previous arrangement." And with that, he left.

II - II - II

Anyone else would've found the scene to be ironic. There was Karyane, the supposed skeptic, sitting on the same over-sized pink cushion that Zenakabee had sat on the day before, in the same mystic's store who Karyane wasn't supposed to believe in. _I'm not supposed to be sitting here, scowling, while I wait for Moana to arrive_, Karyane thought to herself.

"Wat is it dat ye need me for, child?" The voice was as nonchalant as it had sounded from the day before. It floated from behind the same curtain of beads and colored silk curtains that Moana had entered through during Karyane's last visit.

"I...I need your assistance," Karyane called out, surprised that for some reason or another she didn't know what to say.

"Aye, I know dat much already." There she was, the sameelegant, repulsive, poised woman that was Moana. Her hair, her eyes, her dress, everything was like how it was a week earlier. Except this time, Karyane was intimidated, for a reason unknown to even her.

A pause. "What assistance do ye need me for, love? Dat's wat I was askin'." The same enchanting words, slurred together. _God, this woman is eerie._

Karyane started talking, not sure of where to start. "My sister, Zenakabee, you remember her don't you?" she asked, looking to Moana for reassurance. All she got was a vacant and altogether uninterested stare. Gulping down the lump that had unexpectedly formed in her throat, Karyane continued, "Well, she's sick."

"Aye. And how am I suppose' ta 'elp ye wit dat?" Moana asked, rolling her eyes to the ceiling, as if though Karyane was asking the dumbest question in the world.

"She's not just sick. She's…I don't know how to explain. It's been going on for the past week and she's not getting any better. And it's so unexpected, almost as if though she touched something and she caught it. I…I don't know. We all think it's serious," but the stuttering Karyane was cut off.

"We?" Moana asked, her eyebrow rising up in an arc.

"Yes, we. James and I."

"Out o' curiosity love, who be dis James lad?" Moana asked, inspecting her dirt-ridden nails as a smile flitted across her lips.

"Just…just this man that Zenakabee met. He's the bartender of the inn that we're staying at. He and Zenakabee spend a lot of time together," Karyane explained. _God, why am I so nervous?_ she thought to herself, pleading for her sudden onslaught of anxiety to go away.

"You don't tink she's caught love, do ye?" Moana asked with a laugh, a fox-like expression on her face. Karyane just remained silent, not sure of how to respond, which made Moana laugh even harder.

Moana scratched her cheek, looking off at a curtain that was hanging from the wall, and it seemed to calm down her laughs to mere chuckles. "But I still don' understan' wat I'm suppose' ta do?"

Karyane just looked at her, as if though she expected Moana to know the answer. Which she did, considering that the woman had already read her mind and scared her half to death on more than one occasion.

Moana laughed again and said, "Jus' 'cauz I scare ya dear, doesn' mean dat I'm some sort o' weetch or sometin'." Karyane just continued to look at her, absolutely lost as to what she had to do.

There was an awkward silence that Moana made even more uncomfortable by staring straight ahead into Karyane's eyes. "Ye hav ver' prett' eyes child. I'll tell ye dat. Wat ye don't hav is guts."

Karyane just swallowed again, thinking to herself, _What am I supposed to do? Oh goodness, why am I even this nervous?_

"I don' know, ye tell me dat," Moana told her.

Karyane mentally scolded herself; she had forgotten once again that her thoughts weren't really hers when Moana was around."Okay…okay…I'm here because I need your help. My sister is extremely sick and both of us, James and I," she explained when she noticed Moana's raised eyebrow, "think that…well, that…"

"Well wat?" Moana asked, a bemused expression on her face.

Karyane found herself comparing Moana to a certain pirate more and more with every passing second.

"I've known Jack fer a long time, darlin'. Ever since he started out in dis tricky business o' piracy and wat not. He be a version o' me, not vice versa. Tings rub off afta' ye've known a person for a vile," Moana explained.

_Oh great, now she's reminded me of how much I hate him,_ Karyane thought to herself as a wave of anger arose within her at the mention of Jack's name.

"Yes, well, I'm sure ye do. An' I'm terribly sorry fer remindin' ye o' 'im," Moana told her.

_How many times is she going to do that?_

"A lot o' times, now get on wit yer story. Ye were sayin' about dat sista o' yours. How you tink she's goin' ta die and all dat," Moana told her.

"I don't think she's going to die, I just…" Karyane trailed off.

"Ye just tink she's goin' ta die, dat's all," Moana finished for her. Karyane was growing more and more frustrated with this woman. And yet, she was still fearful.

"So ye want me ta cure yer sista so ye two can be on yer merry vay. Vell, dat's nice an' all, 'cept I have one little problem," Moana explained, smiling exaggeratedly, revealing rotting teeth.

"Except what?" Karyane asked, not sure if she should be happy that she was getting somewhere with the conversation or afraid of the exception.

"'cept dat I see absoludely no profit in it fer me?"

Karyane dumped all of the shillings in her bag onto the table. "I can get more. Anything, just do anything to cure my sister. Please," she begged. Her attitude towards the woman had changed considerably.

But Moana was one bird whose feathers weren't easily ruffled. "It's not yer money dat I be wantin' darlin'," she drawled, her voice slow and steady, her eyes peering into Karyane's.

"What do you want?"

Moana sat up straight, suddenly all business, when she realized that Karyane might be serious. "Where be yer sista?"

"She's just outside. I can bring her in, if you like," Karyane said, so glad that she might be able to help out Zenakabee that it was almost pathetic. Moana nodded, gesturing for her to do so. A minute later Karyane re-entered, this time with a weak-looking Zenakabee whose arm was slung over James's shoulder.

"Sit down Zenakabee," Moana purred, her blue eyes taking in every detail of the girl before her. Gently, Karyane and James helped seat Zenakabee on the oversized pink cushion. "Give me yer hands an' tell me wat ye feel," she said, her tone of voice changing from when she had dealt with Karyane. This time, she wasn't annoyed or _annoying_ for that matter, but rather, she sounded like a concerned mother.

Moana held Zenakabee's palms and traced over the lines, like last time except now, Zenakabee winced every so often. "It…it burns. I don't know, it just burns," Zenakabee whimpered.

"Uncharacteristic o' ye child. Last time, ye seemed so much more confident," Moana said, but her tone wasn't condescending. No, far from it, in fact. She sounded genuinely worried.

"Ye can take 'er outside. Karyane, I want ta speak ta ye," Moana said. Karyane looked to James and he nodded, taking Zenakabee out of the shop.

"Tings don't look too good fer 'er," Moana started, hr voice slow, hesitant.

"Do you think…" Karyane gulped, afraid of saying the word, "Do you think she might die?"

"Aye." A sad smile.

"Can…can I do anything to prevent it?"

Moana was looking at her fingernails again when Karyane asked the question, but nevertheless, the question roused the other woman's interest. Blue eyes peering into green ones, searching their depths for Karyane's thoughts.

"Wat do ye mean by, Karyane? Do you mean ta say dat if ye could prevent all o' dis from happenin' by payin' a price, ye'd do it? Are ye honestly sayin' dat love?"

Karyane thought over the question. It was rhetorical, in a way, and yet she was still pondering over an answer. "Yes," she finally decided.

This peaked Moana's interest.

"So if I told ye dat ye can keep yer sista from dying and ye can make sure o' her health and safety, wat would ye do?"

"What would I do? I'd do anything to make sure that it happened. To make sure that my loved ones were safe."

Moana mulled over Karyane's words, as if though she was hesitant on striking a bargain with the young girl. "But she's not even important ta ye, is she? Why would you risk yer everything just for a somethin' o' hers?"

There was silence. Then, "No, she is…she is…" Karyane sighed, as if though she was having difficulty saying what she wanted to. "I care for her. I mean, even though we've just made up, we're still sisters. When she was kidnapped, the best thing for me to do was probably to stay at home and yet I still tried getting onto that ship, as ridiculous an idea as it was, even when I was supposed to hate her. But I couldn't. Because she's my sister. I did everything I could do then and I'd do anything now."

Another pause. Moana's hesistancy was clear, even to the usual naïve Karyane, by now.

"Ye'd do anyting?" she asked, her words tentative, her eyes watching Karyane's every move.

"Anything." Her tone was resolute, firm, without a doubt.

"Would ye stay on dat ruddy ship for anoder six months, maybe even a year and risk the possibility of returnin' ta y'er beloved family? Would ye risk stayin' wid dat Jack Sparrow for a while longer?"

"Stay with Jack Sparrow?" Karyane's voice faltered, it cracked. Her resolution had been torn, doubt now seeped from every corner of her mind.

"Aye, da man ye're suppose' ta hate," Moana told her, with a quirk of an eyebrow.

**Disclaimer/Author's Note: I don't own Pirates. Don't think of suing me. All I have are my pretty clothes and I'm not about to give those up any time soon. But do tell me what you think of this chapter. ;)**


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